


Bourbon and Blood

by MarthaMEGO3



Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV), The Vampire Diaries - L. J. Smith
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Bisexual Damon Salvatore, Blood Drinking, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Damon was compel into forgetting his relationship with Klaus, Elena Gilbert Bashing, Eventual Smut, First Kiss, Flashbacks, Fluff, Hybrid Klaus Mikaelson, M/M, Minor Rebekah Mikaelson/Stefan Salvatore, Pansexual Klaus Mikaelson, Some angst, The Salvatore Brothers had a good relationship, Vampire Damon Salvatore, remembering, salvatore brothers, the 20's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:40:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27345985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarthaMEGO3/pseuds/MarthaMEGO3
Summary: What if Stefan hadn't been alone during the Prohibition? What if he had patch up things with Damon and both brothers were together when they ran into the Original siblings, Klaus and Rebekah?What if Klaus and Damon first meeting was completely different?
Relationships: Klaus Mikaelson & Damon Salvatore, Klaus Mikaelson/Damon Salvatore
Comments: 24
Kudos: 278





	1. Have we met before?

Compelling the entirety of the “Mystic Grill” took more time that he had intended when he walked in, but seeing how this crammed and very unappealing diner was the only decent place to meet up with people, he needed to be extra careful, just in case things went side ways because, after all, this was the night he would finally be free… But still, one doesn’t get to live as long as Niklaus Mikaelson without placing some bets and safeguards here and there.

And still, fate had always been some kind of a bitch when it came to his plans, he thought, as he made his way towards the distant bar at the end of the establishment, at which he could see the dark curls and broad shoulders of the man he never thought he would get to see again in many lifetimes… _Hello there, little raven_ , Klaus thought as he sauntered forward and stood still a few feet away, apprising the unchanged profile: high cheekbones, straight nose, thick eyelashes and the curve of Damon Salvatore’s sardonic but sweet mouth.

Klaus had almost lost control over his human puppet the very first time he encountered him, looking just like the last time they had seen each other, all those years ago, in a clandestine bar, his very deep and baby blue eyes full of questions and worry, before Klaus had made him and his brother, Stefan, forget in order to protect Rebekah and the rest of his family; Klaus had convinced himself that he had done the right thing that night, the necessary thing, because Mikael was close and he couldn’t take any chances, not with his family to protect, he had said to himself that he was also protecting the brothers he and his sister had come to care so deeply for, but Klaus always knew, deep down, that he had been scared and Rebekah’s words still echoed in his head from time to time, but when he saw Damon Salvatore again, the quiet echo had turned into a loud scream: “You coward! You left them! I’m going back, I’m going back to them!”

Klaus took the last steps to reach the bar, where now Damon wasn’t alone anymore, since his now formerly human puppet had decided to finally appeared, which didn’t surprise Klaus seeing how much this meek human seemed to cared so much about the black haired vampire, the term _“best friend”_ rolled around Alaric Saltzman brain every time he thought of Damon when he was borrowing his body and if that did indeed piss off Klaus a bit, he wouldn’t admit it.

“Gentlemen, why so glum?” Klaus said, appreciating the way Alaric started to reek of fear, before zooming completely on the now unfolding form of the vampire in front of him.

“Klaus, I presume,” Damon said, and his voice still had the same ring to it, that same way of challenging people that sometimes drove Rebekah and Stefan mad, but which Klaus found so endearing.

“In the flesh,” he smiled, his heart beating a bit faster while he looked deep down into those blue eyes he knew so well. “Thanks for the loaner, mate.”

“Any reason you stop by to say hi?” Damon moved, standing right in front of him, ready to shield his precious “best friend” from any harm. _You thought you’ve been so nonchalant, but I know better, you’ve always have a soft spot for the people you care about, little raven._

“I’m told you and your brother fancy my doppelgänger,” Klaus had seen first hand how Katerina’s doppelganger, Elena, had both Salvatore brothers so tightly wrapped around her little fingers, that if he hadn’t need her so badly, he would had probably snap her neck when he had witness how selfish and manipulative she was towards Damon, and how much she secretly enjoy having two of the most interesting and powerful creatures in this town reduce to her mindless puppets, ready to answer all her commands and demands.

There had been a time when both Salvatore brothers had been such a force to be reckon with: Stefan Salvatore was a Ripper, he enjoyed hunting and killing for the fun of it, he was unpredictable and raw, almost like a blizzard or a storm; on the other hand, Damon was the more collected of the brothers, but was more brutal and lethal, his ways had been perfected for prolonging the ecstasy of hunting and feeding, like a light breeze that turns into a hurricane.

Seeing both of them in such a deplorable state made Klaus blood boiled, specially since he had always been more than a little apprehensive and jealous, and he just didn’t enjoy watching someone he cared for mistreated and, to be completely honest, Klaus didn’t like to see Damon giving his heart to someone that didn’t deserved it. _Like if you do, you coward_ , Rebekah’s voice ring inside his mind again, and he shut it down.

“Just thought I’d remind you not to do anything you regret,” Klaus almost hissed, angry at this whole situation, angry that the man in front of him was trying to stop him to achieved something he had wanted for centuries, because that man was also the reason Klaus had started to craved the end of the curse, so he could keep the promise he made in that clandestine bar back, back when he met the only person that had made his heart sore with love once again.

_“I’ll come back for you, when I can keep you safe.”_

_“Safe? Safe from what, Nik? What’s happening?”_

_“I cannot tell you right now, little raven. He’s coming, and the more you know, the more danger you are in.”_

_“Nik, please…”_

_“I’ll find you, even if I had to search the whole world, wait for me,” he leaned and planted a kiss in the brow of the man in front of him, stealing the silver lapel pin he had gifted him, sealing his promise with it._

_“Nik, wait…” he tried to grab him, and Klaus caught his hand, pulling him towards him, tears welling up in his eyes while he erased himself and his sister from the mind of this little raven. “I love you.”_

Klaus blinked, shedding the painful memory away, landing back in the present, in front of the man he was dying to hold his embrace once again _. You coward!_ Rebekah’s voice was louder and louder, which, in turn, was starting to irritated Klaus and eroded his patience.

“I don’t suppose I could talk to you into a postponement by any chance, huh?” Damon’s sardonic voice rang inside his mind and the pain of knowing his past lover didn’t recognize him and was bargaining on the life of a worthless human girl sent him into overdrive.

“You’re kidding… He’s kidding, right?”

“No, not really,” Saltzman gather enough bravado to kept his voice from quivering.

“I mean, come on,” Damon said. “What’s one month on all grand scheme of things?”

“Let me be clear,” Klaus took a step forward, facing down Damon, but still, the younger vampire stood his ground. _You’re still as remarkable as ever_. “I have my vampire. I have my werewolf. I have everything I need. The ritual happens tonight, little raven.”

For a moment, the world seemed to stop, the sounds faded in the background. Damon was still, almost too pale, his mouth working something he was trying to said, and then he just muttered: “What did you just said?”

Klaus went still, his mind racing at how he had screwed up so bad, he had been so concentrated into instilling fear and doubt into Damon, so angry that the younger vampire wasn’t taking the hint, and so amazed at how much Damon was still so full of bravery and cunning, that Klaus slipped back into what once had been their daily banter, their way of teasing each other.

“What did you just called me?” Damon said, his eyes seemed a bit out of focus, his right hand gripping the bar as if to find stability and his left reaching for his head, as if it was hurting.

“I won’t repeat myself again,” Klaus said, grabbing the front of Damon’s shirt and pulling him against him, his mouth inches away from his. “If you want to live to see tomorrow, don’t get in my way.”

He pushed him and Damon almost fell to the ground, Saltzman reaching to stop him from tumbling down, and Klaus had to reign himself to not try and check if he was okay, so he just turned around and walked straight for the door, but before he reached it, his vampire ears picked up something he hadn’t heard in such a long time, that his steps faltered.

“Nik, you bad wolf.”

The phrase had been whispered, almost lost into the cacophony of the dozens of humans eating and playing around in the diner, but Klaus hadn’t imagined it, he knew it; he took a deep breath, and while he was pushing open the front door, he dared to look back, fearing and hoping to see something, anything, that would convince him that it hadn’t been his memory playing tricks on him.

Damon was sitting back in his stool, Saltzman fussing around him, asking if he was okay and what they were gonna do, but Damon wasn’t answering, his deep blue eyes were still a bit glassy, but his gaze was unwavering as it landed on Klaus, his mouth a firm line and his hand almost leaving dents in the wooden bar.

“Nik?” he whispered and before he could say something else, Klaus close the door behind him and run as fast as he could, not caring if some unsuspecting human saw him, just wanting to put some space between him and those blue eyes that seemed to had bored into him, just like they used to long ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bad at multitasking, but the idea of this fic pop into my mind after I started watching TVD again, so here I am, writing a second fic without even finishing the one I started in March for the Good Omens fandom, but I promise I'm still working on it... 
> 
> This fic is a way to get into the writing mood and have fresh ideas; also, I don't know how long this fic will be, but I'm throwing a random number of chapters to see if I could hit it!
> 
> Thanks for reading, you're amazing!


	2. Some sort of plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scene at Ric's apartment, but from a very different perspective.

Damon’s head was spinning, which in turn made him feel extremely dizzy, so it was a good thing Ric’s intervention had prevented him from going down hard, but still, the wood stool had caught him in the kidney, which wasn’t such a pleasant feeling right now, because even if his body was patching up the bruise, his vampire physiology seemed to be ignoring completely the splitting headache he was getting.

“What are we gonna do?” Ric was asking, still eyeing the door with worry. “He said he has everything for the ritual, but where…”

“If I take out his werewolf out of the equation, that might give us a month to figure this out,” Damon sigh, rubbing his left fingers against his temple. “Or, at least, to get the vampire blood out of Elena’s system and form a better plan.”

“All you gonna do is getting yourself kill,” Ric took a sip of his bourbon. “You think that sacrificing your life is some kind of penance that you have to give for Elena’s forgiveness?”

“Are you gonna help me or not?” Damon simply asked, because he didn’t want to think about Elena or Stefan or the ritual or how he royally screwed up by trying to, once again, save Elena from her own stupidity and her need to become a martyr… Damon was pissed, because apparently he wasn’t allowed to be selfish, or to feel, or to talked about how everyone put so much faith in the whims of a child, no, that was a privilege only granted to dear sweet Elena, he couldn’t even choose to try and spared his little brother’s heartbreak when Elijah’s plan backfire and Elena most certainly would remained dead.

_“My brother always thought I was made of pure selfishness; you know?”_

_The sun was setting and its last rays made Nik’s dirty blonde hair looked almost gold, so he passed his fingers through it, rejoicing in the silkiness of the curls and smiling when the blond vampire cuddled closer to him, almost sitting in his lap, while they enjoyed the lazy afternoon in the love seat by the window._

_“Selfish for wanting to protect what’s precious to you? I beg to disagree with that, love,” he nuzzled the blond curls with his nose and smelled that musky fragrance of cologne, bourbon, wilderness and blood that was so particular of Nik. “Since when trying to save someone is such a selfish act?”_

_“So, you wouldn’t mind, then?” Nik said as he laid down in his lap, his eyes completely honest and open. “If one day I make that choice for you?”_

_“You silly wolf,” he said, leaning down to drop a small peck in Nik’s lips. “I’m a vicious vampire, I think I can take care of myself.”_

_“I know,” Nik said, as he pushed himself up and caught his lips to deepen the kiss._

The world around him went into focus again and Damon try to regained consciousness of where he was and what was he doing before that… Dream? Memory? What was happening? He didn’t remember knowing Klaus before today, but that had happened at some point, right? Or it hasn’t? He pushed his hands almost roughly through his hair, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to reign the intense hunger he was suddenly feeling.

“Damon,” a voice called his name. “Damon, are you alright?” A hand landed on his shoulder and he recoiled, a low hiss of warning leaving his clenched teeth, fangs completely elongated, eyes bloody red.

“Damon, what the hell?” Ric’s voice was full of panic, and he went to try and shield his friend’s vampiric nature before any other human could see it.

“Stop,” Damon said, raising one hand and letting his head rest in the bar. He took a few deep breaths and when he felt his fangs retracting, he sat straight again. “I’m fine.”

“Like hell, what just happened back there? Were you gonna attack me or something?”

“I said I’m fine, Ric,” Damon cut him off. “Let’s go.”

“Damon…”

“Ric, not now, we have a ritual to stop and a martyr to save, so move your ass before I regret asking for your help.” Damon was feeling really unstable, almost as he was a new born vampire again, his emotions were all over the place, but having a plan to follow was helping him to keep get grounded to reality, so he made his way out of the Mystic Grill, knowing full well that Ric would soon follow.

__________________________________________________

He shouldn’t be there, he wasn’t really in the mood to deal with Katerina’s annoying presence (even more when she looked just like the doppelganger he was trying so very hard not to kill before that night), but he had stashed some valuable things in his human puppet’s apartment for safe keeping and to keep them away from the prying eyes of his witches.

Katerina’s footsteps falter when she heard him coming and she ran off to one side of the room, trying to keep up the charade that she was still under his compulsion; he had decided against using her as the vampire sacrifice for the ritual, just because of what she had done to broke apart him and Elijah couldn’t be so easily forgiven, so he might have to be a little more creative with her punishment, but that also would have to wait.

“You’re back,” Katerina said as he made his way inside, the rest of the neighbors had been compelled into ignoring his comings and goings, as well as Katerina’s presence. “I thought I wouldn’t see you until you have broken the curse and have gained your full power.”

“Katerina, darling, if you appreciated your tongue, please remained silent,” Klaus walked by her and saw how she cowered a little, which kind of brighten his mood a little.

The bedroom wasn’t something amazing, it was cramped and a bit messy, but under the bed was a loose floor board that had enough space to keep some things safe; Klaus crawled under the bed and silently removed the plank, feeling the inside for the one of the three things in there: his fingers found the harsh edge of the dagger, then the glass vial containing the ashes of the white oak and, finally, a little velvet box… This last one he pulled it out, caressing his worn outside.

With the box in his hands, he sat and leaned against the bed, before popping open the lid: there, nestle in deep blue velvet, was a fine silver lapel pin, its top adorned with a small bird taking flight, a raven crafted from a black diamond with such intricacy that its wings seemed to move when the light hit them in different angles. Klaus caressed the pin with his fingertip, almost wishing that the body heat of his owner would still be there…

This simple act had become a sort ritual for him, opening the lid and staring at what had been the gift he had given to Damon the night he knew he could never love some else as he loved the blue eyed vampire that had barged into his life, smiling and challenging him even when he knew he couldn’t win; the pin had adorned Damon’s lapel every single night after Klaus gave it to him, no matter If they went dancing, dinning, drinking or hunting, it was such a precious gift that Damon never let it out of his sight… Not until Klaus had took it back, not wanting to leave any traces that could link Damon to him, and so, the pin became a token: to find solace and strength when he found himself alone and scared, to remind himself of that beautiful months in the 20’s and to kept the promise he made to the man he still loved to this day.

As self-absorbed as he was, Klaus hadn’t notice that the front door of the apartment had opened and now Katerina was talking with someone.

“Look who’s dumb enough to come back,” she said, her voice tremble a little, but she hid it well enough under sarcasm.

“Well, somebody had to invite him in,” Saltzman’s voice reply and Klaus move swiftly, still clutching the pin’s box, and stood next to the closed bedroom door, deciding if it was necessary for him to come out and rip apart everyone on the other side, but the next words from his former human puppet halted his movements. “Damon, you like to come in?”

Klaus heard how the confident steps of Damon moved inside the apartment and Katerina’s breath caught in her throat, no doubt she was completely terrify that Klaus would come out at any second and murder everyone, but nonetheless, the original vampire remained completely still, his heart beating at an increasing speed and his hands clutching the pin’s box as if he was praying.

“Are you trying to get me kill?” Katerina said, fear dripping from her voice.

“I gave you vervain, I’m here to collect,” Damon said, anger and coldness in his tone, his steps cornering Katerina against a wall. “I got it from here, Ric.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, only one of us needs to be blame for this. Get back to the house, make sure to keep Elena’s martyr tendencies in check,” Klaus could almost have sworn those words sounded angry and condescending at the doppelganger. “And Ric, please make sure my baby brother doesn’t do something stupid.”

“What are you doing here, you idiot,” Katerina said as Saltzman steps retreat down the hall. “What are you planning?”

“I need to know where Klaus is keeping his werewolf,” Damon said. “Death werewolf equals no ritual.”

A part of Klaus was raging at how Damon was still trying to stop him from achieving his goal, but then again, Klaus was also impress and found it completely endearing how his little raven was still unapologetic about his need to save somebody who, in his eyes, was no capable of saving themselves.

_The young vampire that had been orbiting around Rebekah for the last few days was back, his easy smiles and shameless charm had sway his baby sister out of her feet, but that ended tonight: no one was good enough for Rebekah, less of all this baby vampire._

_Klaus step in between the pair and pulled Rebekah at his side, staring down at this mud blood creature that wanted to take his sister away. “Nik, this is Stefan,” Rebekah said, trying in vain to get his brother to ease up._

_“Delighted,” Klaus said, sneering at the young vampire. “Rebekah, darling, is time to go.”_

_“Who do you think you are?” the other vampire, Stefan, said. “One would think that someone with such a big stick up his ass like you might have better manners than that.”_

_Rebekah gasped, knowing that his brother had ripped apart people for less offensive things, but before she could say anything, an arm wrapped around Stefan’s shoulders and pulled him back. “Stefan, that’s no way of talking in front of a lady.”_

_The other vampire that had intervened was a bit taller than Stefan, with broad shoulders, slick back deep black hair, baby blue eyes and a smile that could probably bring women and men to their knees. Klaus wasn’t shy about his preferences, that’s why he wasn’t ashamed for thinking that the man in front of him was unbelievable beautiful._

_“You have to forgive my brother,” the black haired beauty said. “He gets cranky when he skips his meals,” Stefan pushed away his brother’s arm and stared at Klaus, but with less heat than before._

_“Damon Salvatore,” said the new comer. “Why don’t we all take a seat and try to figure this out with spilling blood, specially that of my silly brother.”_

_Klaus liked this man, he knew neither he nor his brother stood a chance against him, but he was brave enough to asked for a more “polite” way of approaching things, so Klaus decided to humor him. “Let’s get a booth for the four of us, then.”_

“No, you can’t do that, Damon,” Katerina’s voice brought Klaus back to the present. “You can’t interfere.”

“You should like this, is going to buy another month of your pathetic life,” Damon said, and Klaus could almost see the sharp edge smile in his lips.

“Right, except I’m no the vampire he’s planning on sacrificing,” Katerina said, but almost immediately Klaus heard how she suck on air, probably wondering if she had screwed up.

“What?” Damon almost growl.

“He has Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood,” she continued, a bit more cautious now. “So I’m in the clear.”

“And where did he got that idea?” Damon advanced and Klaus almost opened the door to see for himself that looming and threatening aura his little raven was probably projecting, but he resisted.

“Hey, easy, I’m just trying to stay alive long enough to get me out of here.”

Damon started pacing, huffing breaths of air, probably trying to figure out how to proceed with this information and what he could do. Even if he was trying to stop him, Klaus was incredibly proud to see that even if that Elena girl had her hooks so deep in him, Damon was still as cunning and resourceful as ever.

“What if I tell you that Elena has vampire blood in her system?” Damon said casually.

“What?” Katerina’s voice raised an octave.

“Yeah, so just imagine how fun it will be competing with Elena for Stefan’s love for, I don’t know, forever,” Klaus couldn’t help but smile. _Such a cunning boy you are_ , he thought, remembering how Damon always knew what to say and do to make people around him do what he wanted, even if those people were scared shitless.

Katerina sighed, probably wondering if saying what she knew would get her killed, but it didn’t matter, since Klaus already had a backup plan, so he could leave his little raven had this little victory over someone as annoying as Katerina. “The tomb,” she finally said. “He’s keeping them in the tomb.”

“Thank you,” Damon said in a sarcastic voice and made his way towards the door.

“You know he’ll kill you and everyone you love, right?” Katerina said.

“Is that worry for me o for Stefan?” Damon said, almost bitter. “Don’t fret, Nik won’t harm Stefan unless he wishes for Bekah to skin him alive.”

Klaus lost his grip on the box and it tumbled to the floor, but he caught it before it could hit the ground. Damon had called him Nik again, which was the name he had chosen to called him when they were together, claiming that “Klaus” had a villainous ring to it and that the both of them couldn’t have villainous names. _Besides, Nik goes better with you_ , Damon had said once.

No noise was coming from the other side of the door, but Klaus could still hear Katerina and Damon’s breaths and heartbeats, the one belonging to his little raven was almost frantic.

“Damon, what…?” Katerina said and she took a couple of steps towards him. “What did you just call him? I thought…”

“I gotta go,” Damon said and Klaus heard how he fleet away.

Putting the box in the inside pocket of his jacket, he stepped outside. Katerina whirled around, her eyes full of shock, fear and questions, but he decided to ignore that as he hastily moved towards her and took her by her neck.

“One word and I’ll rip your pretty head,” Klaus said and looked towards the still opened door. “I need to take care of something,” he needed to go, he needed to make sure it wasn’t all a horrible coincidence. “And you, dear Katerina, need to make a quick phone call.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here it is, second chapter :D I'm trying to keep some things exactly the same to the original chapter of season two where this scene takes place, but things are going to start shifting and changing in the next chapters. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and all your kudos, you are amazing!
> 
> NOTE: This work might contain grammar and spelling mistakes.


	3. Prelude of disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prelude before the storm, just a few hours to the end of the Moon and the Sun curse...

Damon had run all the way towards the tomb, trying to dislodged from his mind what he had said to Katherine in Ric’s apartment… He had talked about Klaus as if he knew him and knew for certain that original bastard wouldn’t harm his brother because of… Bekah? Who was Bekah and why does that name sound so familiar to him?

The sun was already setting in the horizon, which meant he had to hurry before the Lockwood pup turned vampire Barbie into a kebab; he made his way to the tomb, his mind still repeating what he had said, tasting how the name Nik had felt in his tongue, just like it was such a normal word for him to say, as if that name was a better suit for the original vampire than Klaus ever was.

Lost in thought, he failed to notice he wasn’t alone anymore, so he let out a snarl and displayed his vampiric nature when a voice said: “Which one are you trying to save? The blond or the wolf?”

One of Klaus’ witches, God only knows how this asshole was called, was coming straight at him, so cocky and comfortable that made Damon hiss a little warning through his fangs. _I’m really not in the mood to deal with this right now_ , he thought, assessing which would be the fastest way to end this idiot’s life.

“Do you really think Klaus would leave them unprotected?” the idiot witch said.

“Wishful thinking,” Damon said before lounging for the witch, his hands almost claws at the man’s throat, but before he could snap his neck, the asshole send him flying back. _Fucking witches_ , Damon thought, ready for round two when a searing pain exploded through his brain, vessels and veins popping and reforming so fast that some flashes of memory started to come forward.

_Nik’s arched eyebrow when Damon told him why he should give his baby brother a chance with Rebekah._

_Damon, dancing with a petit brunette, nuzzling her neck but his eyes were zoomed on Nik’s form on the other side of the room._

_Damon buying a drink for Nik, the most expensive bourbon of the house, while Stefan and Rebekah sneak out of the bar._

_Nik’s hand casually brushing Damon’s when they were leaving for the night._

_“I’ll see you tomorrow, little raven,” Nik smiled and that send a jolt through Damon’s whole body._

A gunshot rang loud and Damon looked up, the asshole witch now had a bloody hole in his chest, so he took the chance to close the distance and snapped his neck. _One less problem to deal with_ , he thought as someone reload the gun.

“What are you doing here?” Damon asked at the approaching form of Boy Wonder, Matt Donovan, who was carrying a hunting riffle and looked a bit unhinged.

“Where’s Caroline?”

“Listen, man, it’s not a good time to play the hero.”

“Where is she? What have you done to her?” Stupid Matt Donovan made the mistake to aimed at him, and a part of Damon begged him to drink this dumb boy dry, but he reigned that part in.

“I’m here to rescue her, okay?” Damon advanced with his hands up, then he snatched the riffle from the weak human hands of Matt and knock him unconscious. “You’re lucky I’m having the worst headache of all times and have no time to deal with your corpse, or you’ll be death already.”

After disarming the gun, Damon made his way down the tomb. He could hear vampire Barbie and the Lockwood pup at the end of it, they were talking and, for what Damon could discern, having a really deep heart to heart talk, but then Caroline said: “Why didn’t you say goodbye? You just left”

Damon’s world tilted and he had to rest his hand on one of the walls to regain his balance, more memories (he was sure now that’s what they were) came flooding again.

_Nik sitting close to him in their booth, their legs touching while Stefan and Bekah drank a poor bastard dry._

_Nik asking him for a dance, claiming it was boring to be the only two not enjoying the music; Damon laughing and sarcastically saying he was right, while secretly being completely happy when Nik took his hand._

_He and Nik, dancing to a slow song, the only couple consisting of two men, not caring for anything else but the feel of Nik’s hands and his slow smile._

_He and Nik, hunting down a bunch of idiotic men that had been giving them the stink eye and making side comments about their dance._

_Nik smiling at him, his teeth now covered in blood, while he wiped away some loose drops of blood from the side of Damon’s mouth._

_Damon holding Nik’s hand against his cheek, looking deep into the other man’s vampiric eyes, almost as if asking permission, before leaning in and kissing that full mouth._

_Nik closing the small gap between their bodies by hugging him by the waist, while Damon circled his shoulders._

“I thought you deserve better than having someone like me in your life,” Tyler’s voice echoed in Damon’s ears and for moment sounded just like Nik, his mind trying to catch up with the present, his head spinning and his eyes wet with tears he didn’t realized had formed in his eyes. _What is happening?_ Damon thought as he made his way further into the tomb, drying his with his hands.

“Damon?” Caroline said when she saw him entered. She was chained to the wall as was Tyler, probably she had been weakened so she couldn’t escape and the Lockwood pup didn’t have enough strength in his human form.

“Boy Wonder is outside, with a rifle loaded with wooden bullets,” Damon said, as he crouched and started working on the chains. “You have some explaining to do.”

“Wait, Matt?” Caroline asked.

“Matt knows about you?” Tyler asked at the same time and Damon didn’t miss the sad edge of his voice, probably because Tyler believed he was the only boy who knew about Caroline’s true nature.

“Tomorrow’s problem,” Damon said in a quiet voice, trying to calm down Caroline. “Let’s get you two out of here.” He helped her to her feet and then went to work on Tyler’s chains… _This wasn’t the plan_ , a part of his mind said, but Damon just couldn’t bring himself to kill Tyler anymore, he just couldn’t.

_Sometimes, you just need to talk things out, little raven. No secrets, just the truth._

Damon shook his head and started to lead the other two out of the tomb. They needed time to figure out what was happening in their minds and hearts. _And so do I._

__________________________________________________

It had taken more time than he had anticipated, but now Klaus was making his way towards the tomb where, he was certain, nor wolf or vampire will be, he just hoped Maddox hadn’t got himself kill (it was such a pain in the ass to look for decent witches now days), but knowing Damon’s little patience when it come to dealing with things, Klaus was certain that Maddox was no longer among the living.

He had created a new vampire in Elena’s aunt, it was a logical choice, even when turning Saltzman had also crossed his mind while he was on the way, but knowing Damon cared for that meek human, he had decided to go with something a bit more poetic… Aunt and niece, together until the end.

Then, he had picked up plain and boring Elena when she was coming back from her little adventure with Stefan, knowing now that she probably would rise as a vampire was a mild annoyance, over all because that winy girl was making a shit storm out of nothing, as if being a vampire was so bad; but still, when Rebekah was awoken, Klaus would definitely enjoy watching his sister torn Elena to shreds.

He had left Elena, aunt Gilbert and the new female werewolf in charge of Greta, knowing full well she was capable on handling the three of them on herself, and he made haste in tracking down Damon, worried about the full moon and the very unstable young werewolf he was trying to save.

Klaus reached the tomb and his heart almost stop when he saw a body on the ground, but on a closer inspection he realized it was only Maddox… Regrettable, but he knew it was a possibility, so he stood a bit further into the forest and let his hearing reach further into the wilderness.

There, in the distance, he heard Damon’s voice and a few seconds later, the crack and tearing of a werewolf transformation… He ran, sounds of a struggle and growls in the distance, people running away and then he was there, a few feet away from Damon and almost completely transform werewolf.

Damon was holding his arm, pain written all over his face, but his feet were planted on the forest floor, his eyes full of conviction… His little stupid raven, was willing to fight a young werewolf and for what, for her? For that ungrateful child?

“Tyler,” Damon said, not realizing Klaus was there. “You need to fight it, I don’t want to kill you.” The werewolf boy was growling and spiting, his wild side demanding for him to tare and kill everything in his path.

“Tyler, you need to tell her,” Damon talked again and Klaus listen. “If we fight, I must certainly will kill you and you’ll never be able to tell Caroline how you really feel.”

The werewolf looked up, his face horribly disfigured between human and wolf, but his eyes seemed to understand; with what sound like a terrible yelp of pain, the boy ran faster and faster, far away from Damon and Klaus.

Damon sighed and let himself tumble to the ground, rolling his sleeve to reveal what Klaus already knew was there: a werewolf bite, poisonous and lethal for every vampire that wasn’t an original. Klaus step forward and Damon looked up, watching as the original vampire made his way towards him, but his face was devoid of any fear.

“You save him,” Klaus said. “Why?”

“He’s in love but an idiot,” Damon said as he stood up. “I gave him a chance of telling the girl she loves the truth,” he walked and stood just a few feet away from Klaus. “Are you going to kill me now?”

Klaus close the distance that kept them apart and looked at Damon from head to toe… His fashion had change with the decade, but he still favored dark colors, his hair was a bit longer and wilder, but that also suit him and let Klaus appreciate the almost blue highlights that Damon’s deep black hair sometimes had, but the most beautiful thing were still his eyes, clear and honest, never ashamed, and Klaus, unable to help himself, reached out and touch Damon’s cheek, which was starting to burn up because of the werewolf venom.

“You’re dying, little raven,” he said while he caressed Damon’s cheek. “But at least you’re dying for trying and help someone else be happy, at least you’re not dying for her.”

“I’m tired,” Damon said as he laid his head on Klaus hand. “Tired of always being the bad guy, of always being taken for granted, tired of being deemed unlovable. I just wanna rest.”

“You’re not unlovable, little raven. And you’re not going to die, I promise.”

_“I will always take care of you,” Nik said as Damon’s form turn around in the bed and cuddle next to him. “I’ll burn down this world if that’ll keep you here, with me, forever.”_

_“You don’t have to be so extreme, Nik,” Damon climbed on top of Nik, letting their naked bodies buzzed with every sensation. “Vampires don’t get so easily killed and, besides, I don’t think there’s something in the world that could take me away from you… I’ll rip it apart first.”_

_“That’s true, but still, this is my promise to you: No matter where, no matter when and no matter what, I will always protect you and make you happy, my little raven.”_

_Damon’s eyes lit up with happiness, and Nik felt all the love that he always thought was just s a fairy tale poured out of him, all for the man he was holding so close to him now._

“I’ll take care of you,” Klaus said and went a little closer to Damon. “But you need to stay out of the way, just until morning, so I can keep my promise to you,” the snap was quick and Klaus caught Damon’s unconscious form in his arms, picking him up and holding him close, he ran with the man that owned his heart in his arms, he ran faster and faster.

__ __ __ __ __

He was cutting it close, but he would make it, Klaus just needed to make sure Damon was out of harms way and safe until he could come back for him, and even thought it pained him, having Damon weak and out of his prime because of the werewolf venom was his best chance at keeping him that way… Werewolf venom wasn’t lethal in the first twenty-four hours, he would just be a bit uncomfortable and with a bit of fever, but Klaus would be back even before those twenty-four hours were complete and he would cure him and would returned Damon the memories he stole from him, along with the raven pin that was rightfully his.

Some human inhabitants were coming down the stairs when Klaus was going up, but if they thought it was kind of odd for a man to carry another like it weighted nothing, they just ignored and kept on walking; Klaus kicked the door open, startling a doze off Katerina in the sofa.

“Is that… What happened?” She went to her feet but a low growl from Klaus made her sit again, he just didn’t want her anywhere near Damon.

Klaus made his way towards the bedroom, where he laid the still unconscious dark haired vampire on the bed, making sure he was comfortable and throwing an extra blanket so the chills from the fever didn’t bother him. With tender hands, Klaus brushed back Damon’s hair, caressing the light stubble in his cheeks, touching his parted lips.

“Wait for me, little raven,” whispered Klaus in ancient gaelic, leaning down and placing a small kiss on Damon’s forehead. “I promise that after tonight, I’ll never let you go again. I’m sorry it took me so long.”

With one last look, Klaus left the room and close the door behind him, then he turned to Katerina, who was still siting on the couch, completely mute.

“No one comes in, no one goes near him,” Klaus said in a small voice fill with the promise of violence. “Kill anyone if you have to, but when I come back, he better be safe and resting.” Without waiting for an answer, Klaus left and ran, eager to reach the ritual site to lift the curse, the thought of Damon waiting for him giving him a renewed sense of victory… Tonight, he would get everything he ever wanted, craved, needed and loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three is here! From now on, changes and deviations from the source material will be more evident, although some things might stay the same (dialogue, some situations and locations), from now on the story will be heavily center on our two main POV and flashbacks will be more recurrent :D
> 
> Thank you for reading and all your kudos! You are amazing!
> 
> NOTE: This work needs revision and might contain grammar and spelling mistakes.


	4. The Ritual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Sun and de Moon Curse comes to an end, old memories resurface with more information about a past Damon is starting to remember and miss.

His head was killing him when he opened his eyes and got a bit disoriented when he didn’t recognize where he was, but on a closer inspection, Damon realized he was in Ric’s apartment, laying on his bed and covered by a very warm blanket. _What the fuck?_ He sat up, completely at lost of what had happened, he remembered Klaus, there with him in the forest, his sweet words, the overall fondness of his touch and then… nothing, complete darkness.

He opened the door and there was Katherine, guarding the door as if she was terrified of what could come through it. Her eyes went wide and her mouth tried to form some words, but that failed and she just nodded.

“Where is him?” Damon was a little pissed now that he realized Klaus had snapped his neck, but what really anger him was the itching at where the Lockwood pup had taken a good bite at. _Don’t look, you worry about that later_ , he walked towards the door, intending on leaving, but then Katherine was there, in his path, a serious look on her face.

“Get out of my way,” Damon snarled. “I need to go.”

“I can’t do that,” Katherine said. “If he returns and sees you are not here my head rolls next.”

“I don’t care,” Damon said, but then stop. “Wait, “your head rolls next”? What do you mean?”

“I’m sorry, Damon,” Katherine sound almost repentant. “He made called her, he needed another vampire for the sacrifice and after he realized I was on vervain, it was the only way. I’m sorry”

“Who did you called, Katherine?”

“Jenna,” she said. “He made me called Jenna and pretend to be Elena, to lure her out of the house.”

_Ric, no_ , Damon thought as he realized how devastated Ric would be if Jenna died, and then a second thought enter his mind when he realized his first thought hadn’t been for Elena’s happiness, but for his friend… He would think about that later, now he needed to go.

“Whatever, I need to go, so get out my way.”

“What are you gonna do? Offer yourself in Jenna’s place?” Katherine almost snorted. “He carried you, Damon. He brought you here on his arms, cradled as if you were something irreplaceable. He tucked you in, he whispered something I didn’t get but it sounded as if he was talking to a lover…”

Damon just looked at Katherine, her eyes weren’t judging, but they were full of questions Damon couldn’t answer, because he wasn’t even sure if knew exactly what was happening, that’s why he needed to go after Klaus: to get answers, to convince him to spared Jenna’s life for Ric’s sake, to… save him? Damon knew Elijah was aiming at killing Klaus at the end the ritual and small part of Damon’s heart ached at the thought of it.

“I don’t have the time, Katherine,” Damon sighed. “Whatever you think you know is probably more than what I know, so please, please just let me go.”

“I met Klaus a long time ago and I know he always keeps his promises,” she said and sat down again in front of the door. “He command me to guard you and to keep you safe, so whatever it is he wants with you, I’m quite sure that it doesn’t involve getting you in harms way. So please, just stay put and let this go, Damon.”

Damon wanted to let it go, but then Ric and Stefan’s faces came into focus, both grieving for the loss of the people they loved, and next to it, was Klaus’ face, not exactly how he was right now, but with his hair slicked back, cladded in black tuxedo, his charming smile just for Damon to see while he whispered how he loved him.

“I’ve never been one to make things easy, Kat,” he said. “And I’m not starting today,” then he jumped and went cleanly through the window, landing hard on his feet on the street, and ran, Katherine’s screams echoing through the street.

__ __ __ __ __

Damon decided that maybe running all the way to the Witchy House had been a bad idea when he went out of breath and started coughing, but became slightly more worried when his coughs were accompanied by blood. _Shake it out, let’s go_ , he pushed himself and arrived at the house at the same moment that John Gilbert was exiting, caught in heated discussion with Bonnie.

Apparently, someone had already told him that his beloved daughter might come back as a horrible vampire and he was trying to make sure Bonnie could stop this, but whatever, Damon needed to find Stefan, he needed to know if his baby brother knew anything about what have been going on with Klaus.

“You,” John Gilbert had finally spotted Damon. “You were supposed to keep her safe, not turn her into… into…”

“A monster?” Damon grinned and Bonnie made a face at him, her way of asking for him to shut up. “Come on, John, at least you’ll still have a daughter that will be able sacrifice herself over and over and over again and made it back in one piece.”

“You son of a…” he went for the punch for Damon simply swatted him away, grinning when he heard something snapping and John holding back a curse.

“I won’t push my buttons right now, John,” he threatened. “Bon-Bon, where’s my brother?”

________________________________________

Klaus could almost have started to whistle when he reached the site of the sacrifice, such was his good mood, but then he listened to the annoying voice of Elena Gilbert. “Greta, witches are supposed to maintain the balance in nature. It’s your duty to them, to keep this cursed sealed.”

Of course, Miss Gilbert was still trying to kept herself alive, because no matter what she claimed, he could hear how terrify she was and how much she wished she could run away. But when Greta declared her allegiance to him once again, his mood went up to the clouds.

Approaching the circles of sacrifice, Klaus looked at what was between him and the life he always wanted, the love he needed, the man and the family he would be able to protect from now on. “Hello, my lovelies. Are we ready?”

“My lord,” Greta bowed. “We’re ready.”

Witch and original vampire approached the altar, where Klaus handed over the wretched Moon Stone his mother had use to seal away his power. Such a small thing brought so much headache, he thought when Greta took it from him and burst it into flames.

“Do you remember everything you need to do?”

“I remember,” Klaus said. He had killed thousands in all his years on Earth, royalty, armies, enemies, but none of those deaths were as important as the next three… He remembered how he needed to take their lives and he would honor them, for granting him what he needed.

He stepped next to the first circle, the one with the werewolf who was in immense pain, but when the flames went out, she lashed at him. Klaus moved out of the way, the predator inside of him enjoying the fight this girl try put, but it was over in a second, with Klaus flipping her to the ground and plunging his right hand, wrist deep, into her chest.

“Thank you,” Klaus leaned down, wiping away a stray tear from her eye tear and dropping a chaste kiss on her mouth. He then twisted his hand and cleanly rip her heart from her chest… She died instantly.

With the organ still warm and giving its last pumps, Klaus walked towards the altar, where he squeezed the heart and offered this blood for the spirits of all the werewolves that had come before him. “Does that mean is working?” he asked, as the water in which the blood dripped started to bubbled.

“It’s working,” Greta smiled, no doubt she could feel the ancient magic of the Original Witch. “Now, the vampire.”

Klaus picked up a wooden stake and turned around, walking to the second circle. “Hello, Jenna,” he said as the newborn vampire stood up and Klaus smiled.

“Let her go,” Klaus almost rolled his eyes at the insisting and annoying voice of Elena. “I understand that I have to die, but she doesn’t…” The fire circle around the doppelganger grow in heat and size, so the stupid girl took a few steps back.

“Careful, we won’t want for you to get hurt,” Klaus replied, a sadistic smile on his lips.

“Elena, don’t,” said aunt Jenna and Klaus decided that he liked this woman, she had spunk and real bravery, not like the cheap imitation her selfish niece tried to portray.

“No, Jenna. We can’t leave Jeremy without a family,” Elena said and Klaus felt a heavy weight lodge into his chest. Family was everything to him, but he couldn’t backtrack now, no when his own family and the love of his life were waiting for him, so he hardened his heart and got ready… But a little movement caught his attention.

“Well, well,” Klaus turned around and saw that Stefan had arrived. “I don’t recall you’ve been on the guest list,” Klaus was really starting to hate the human girl in front of him, because she was as selfish and manipulative as her previous incarnation, the only difference being that, at least, Katerina never tried to play nice, while Elena aimed to be such a perfect person, even when her heart was rotten.

“I’m here to talk,” Stefan said and Klaus couldn’t help but smile; after all, even when his heart, body and mind belonged completely to Damon, Klaus still remembered the fun nights he had had with Ripper Stefan, so he decided to humor him.

“What can I do for you, Mister Salvatore,” said Klaus after moving next to the young vampire on the little cliff overseeing the sacrifice.

“You don’t need to kill Jenna. I’ll take her place,” Stefan claimed and Klaus was really tempted with snapping his neck, seeing how it had work with his brother earlier. _What is this unhealthy fascination with one simpleton girl?_

“Oh, I don’t know, mate,” Klaus hid his annoyance under nonchalance. “I rather appreciate the symmetry of three women. Three goddesses sacrifice in nature’s altar.”

“Don’t give me that,” Stefan was starting to get angry. “You still get what you want, just make the trade.”

Klaus started to count to ten, picturing Rebekah’s face, seeing her smile when she looked at Stefan and how happy she was with him; then, Damon’s face came into view, his tenderness when he talked about his baby brother when Stefan wasn’t around, the fierce love Damon had for him; and then, Klaus own feelings surfaced, how much he enjoyed Stefan’s company and their late night talks, he remembered the night he told him the truth about his feelings for Damon.

_“So, what makes you worthy of someone like my brother?” Stefan asked him. They were on one of the balconies of the house Klaus had acquired when he and Rebekah moved to the city._

_“How about being the most powerful creature on the planet?” Nik responded, teasing a bit and smiling at Stefan, but the young Salvatore just stared back. “What’s that look for?”_

_“I’m serious, Nik,” Stefan replied. “I’ve seen how my brother looks at you, how happy he is, and I’m happy, but the last time he looked at someone in that same manner, it nearly destroyed him… Nearly destroyed both of us. He’s my brother, Nik, the most important person in this world to me, all I ever wanted is for Damon to be happy.”_

_“I know,” Nik leaned against banister, holding his hands together. “I don’t know the whole story of that past heartache, but I promise that all I want is to make Damon happy… Forget what I said about being the most powerful creature on the planet, I want to be the only creature that can make your brother smile and keep him glowing with love.”_

_They were quiet for a while, Nik trying to steadied his breath and heartbeat, knowing full well he had just laid down his true feelinsg in front of Stefan and he hoped, they were enough to reach the heart of Damon’s brother._

_“I believe you,” Stefan said quietly and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing. “I told you, I’ve seen how my brother is around you and I couldn’t ask for anything else,” Stefan smiled and lightly punched Nik on the arm. “Still, if you break his heart, I’ll try my best to kill you.”_

_Nik smiled, knowing full well he had Stefan on his side, and with that blessing, his smile was even wider when he saw Damon and Rebekah walking back towards the house. His little raven was coming home._

“So, what do you say?” Stefan asked him.

“Once, you made me promise to never hurt your brother,” Klaus said in slow voice and Stefan’s face went completely still. “I intend to keep that promise, so there’s no deal,” Klaus said as he moved faster than any eye could track and snapped Stefan’s neck; Klaus laid down Stefan’s form with care on the ground, while on the background Elena had started to scream.

“Besides,” Klaus whispered to Stefan. “Rebekah will also be incredibly crossed with me if something happens to you while on my watch.”

________________________________________

The trek through the woods was taking its toll on Damon, his lungs were burning, his legs were wobbly and his eyes stung. After Bonnie had told him Stefan intended to take Jenna’s place in the sacrifice, he lost it… He punched holes through walls, flipped tables and screamed, his emotions were all over the place, because he knew Klaus would never go for that exchange and Damon was angry because Jenna would still be dead and he couldn’t do anything to spare Ric’s pain.

Everyone thought he was angry because of Stefan’s decision and so he let them think that, if that made them move faster, then they could believe whatever they wanted. Elijah had “suggested”, and by suggested it meant commanded, that the “vulnerable members” of the group must be left behind, which meant that Ric, Jeremy and John had been locked up in the Witch House and only Elijah, Damon and Bonnie were making their way towards the sacrifice site.

“No! Jenna!” Elena’s scream reached them and Damon knew they were too late. _I’m so sorry, Ric_ , he thought and stumbled a bit, but regained his balance; Bonnie had almost lurched forward, but Elijah had grabbed her, reminding her to stick to the plan or all the deaths will be in vain.

At that moment, they reached the end of the trees, and Damon looked around the clearing: Jenna, Jules and Elena laid in different places, the three of them completely still; the female witch that had been helping out Klaus was next to the now extinguish altar, watching in awe at the center of said clearing…

There, bathed in clear moonlight, was Klaus, his bones cracking and shifting, and his eyes were now alight with gold, a new pair of fangs had grown in his mouth. _You look so beautiful_ , Damon thought and a single tear slid down his cheek, a part of him felt so happy at seeing Klaus becoming what he always meant to be.

“Take out the witch,” Elijah said as he surged forward. “Now, Bonnie!”

Damon moved as if in a dream, tackling the witch and snapping her neck, then he turned around and picked Elena’s lifeless body from the ground; Stefan was stirring up on the top of the cliff where he had been lying, so Damon fleet towards him and as he was reaching him, Klaus started screaming… It was so sudden and so full of pain, that Damon almost dropped Elena.

“Take her, brother,” Damon said as he handed Elena to a still very stunned Stefan. “Go, get back to the house, I’ll be right behind you.”

“Damon, just before, Klaus said something…” whatever Stefan tried to said was cut off by another agonizing scream, so both brothers turned around.

Damon’s world went sideways and dread fill him up: Elijah was already on top of Klaus, his hand buried deep inside the now hybrid’s chest; Klaus was trying to dislodged himself, but Bonnie’s spell kept him grounded where he was. _He’s dying, do something!_ A voice Damon didn’t recognized scream inside his mind.

“Stefan, go!” Damon shouted as he stumbled down the steep pathway at a very human speed, his legs completely tired and his body on the verge of collapsing after he had exerted himself so much… He knew he couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t take on Elijah and he couldn’t fight Bonnie, but he needed to do something, anything.

His legs gave out before he could reach the clearing, tears he hadn’t notice rolling down his cheeks, his throat closed around a silent scream, a scream for Elijah to stop, for Bonnie to stop, for Nik (because that was who Damon wanted to called for) to fight and to look at him.

“In the name of our family, Niklaus,” said Elijah and Damon started to drag himself forward, wanting to reach them in time.

“I didn’t bury them at sea,” Nik gasped. “Their bodies are safe, but if you kill me, you’ll never find them.”

_“So, what really happen to your family?” Damon asked as Nik hanged his coat._

_“I already told you, I killed most of them,” he replied while he walked towards the bed, where Damon was waiting in just his trousers, a half-unbuttoned shirt and completely barefoot. The blond man straddled him and Damon encircled his waist._

_“You always said that, but “killing most of them” could mean more than half or just one,” he said, kissing Nik’s jaw. “I’m just curious, since I know you love Bekah enough to crushed a guy’s fingers for pushing her. I just want to know you better, little wolf.”_

_Nik sighed and let himself dropped on the bed, and then covered his eyes with one of his arms, which meant he was trying to shield the truth from Damon, so he tugged at his fingers, lowering the obstructing arm._

_“You’ve already told me about your true self, but you’re still afraid I might run away if you say the wrong thing?” Damon whispered, kissing Nik’s knuckles. “I’m here to stay, Nik, and I want you to know that you can tell me anything you might be keeping close to your heart and doesn’t allow you to breath.”_

_Nik propped himself on his elbow, looking deep into Damon’s eyes, his completely dilated and vulnerable, so Damon just leaned to kiss a corner of his mouth. “The whole truth…”_

_“No secrets,” Nik completed; and so, he told him, what really have become of the rest of his siblings and Damon listened, never judging just listening… He didn’t ask why or where, but just hold Nik and told him he understood and he will keep his secret safe._

“I can take you to them,” Nik said to Elijah in the present. “I give you my word, brother.”

“Do it and I’ll take you both out,” Bonnie threatened, but Damon knew she didn’t have the strength and, for a moment, he was grateful for it.

“I’m sorry,” Elijah said and then, he and Nik disappeared. Damon knew that was probably the last time he would ever see any of the original brothers, but he was happy, happy that even if he hadn’t been able to save Jenna, Nik was and would be okay…

_You finally did it, little wolf, you’re free_. And then, darkness swallowed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter four and we're halfway there! I'm starting to like writing about the 20's and all those flashbacks, so I'm thinking of making some sort of one shots about it when this little story is over :D Next chapter will be up on thursday! 
> 
> Thank you for all your kudos and comments, you're awesome! 
> 
> NOTE: This work needs revision and might contain grammar and spelling mistakes.


	5. The sun also rises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a place like Mystic Falls, there's not such thing as "a calm before the storm", an so, vampire and hybrid look for each other before they run out of time.

The funeral had been a very private and small affair, only the ones entangled with the past events were present, but still, Damon decided on staying outside of their little circle as Elena and Jeremy were surrounded and held by their friends, while all of them said goodbye to the last adult Gilberts in Mystic Falls.

After Bonnie found Damon lying face down in the dirt, she had been on the verge of collapse as she tried to get him to wake up, crying and calling his name, so when he finally opened his eyes, she had thrown herself at him, sobbing and shaking, blaming herself for her weakness and for her inability to saved anyone; Damon just held her and then both of them made their way back to the Witch House.

Once there, Damon excused himself and went back to the Salvatore Manor, with the full intention of settling things down and leaving all his assets and properties to the people he cared for; he called his lawyers and arranged for Bonnie and Ric to received some major investments, for Elena and Jeremy to inherited some of his money so they could pull themselves from the bad place they were at now, and, finally, the rest of his belongings would go in full to Stefan.

When his baby brother came looking for him, Damon was laying down on the couch, a glass full of bourbon on his hand and the fireplace roaring with heat. Apparently, the spell John had found had been a complete success and Elena was okay and, most importantly, human… But John had die, the spell transferring all his life force and saving her from becoming such a terrible monster.

“That’s great, little brother,” Damon said with a weak smile in his lips. “As usual, some else had to fix what I broke.” Stefan then told him about the funeral and how it would be good for him to show up, since Elena wanted him there too.

“No, she doesn’t, but I’ll be there, for Ric,” Damon said as he stood up and went to look for something to wear. Halfway there, he tripped over his own feet and went to his knees: his head was fuzzy and his limbs were almost liquid, but he pulled himself up again.

“Damon?” Stefan’s voice was full of concern when he reached for him, but then his eyes found the now fester wound on his brother’s arm and he gasped. “What happened? Is that…”

“A werewolf bite? Yeah,” Damon said with nonchalance as he continued to made his towards the stairs. “Last night, the Lockwood pup almost attacked Caroline so, being the idiot that I am, I jumped in front of him and he took a good bite from me.”

“There must be a way to cure you,” Stefan was starting to sound frantic. “There’s not curse that can’t be broken, we learnt that last night.”

“There’s nothing, Stef, we both know that,” Damon said as he opened his bedroom door. “I had a good run and I already took care of everything… Just promise me you’ll be there, at the end.”

Stefan was openly crying right now, so Damon pulled him for a tight hug, which Stefan returned with desperation. _God, I’m gonna miss you so much, baby brother_ , Damon thought as he also started to cry.

“After the funeral, you must lock me up. The hallucinations would come shortly and if you leave me free I might hurt someone… Please, brother, promise me,” Stefan was pale and his breath was hitching every few seconds. “Please, Stef, please do this for me.”

Stefan didn’t answer, his face just shifted to determination and he turned around, probably already trying to figure out how to save what couldn’t be save. Damon just sighed and went to his wardrobe to look for the right outfit.

Now, as the rest of mourners went on to be with Elena and Jeremy, Damon stood behind, silently saying goodbye to everyone before turning around. If Stefan didn’t lock him up, he needed to take matters into his own hands… The old cells under the Salvatore Manor would do the trick, he just hoped Stefan would be there in time.

 _I just wish II could see you, one last time._ Damon sighed and, alone, made his way back.

_________________________________________

Klaus saw that the sun was already up in the sky, his eyes adapting to the blinding light, his body still filled with the adrenaline of the transformation; he laughed out loud as he realized what he had accomplished: the curse was finally over, he was no longer a vampire, but something more, something strong enough to face Mikael and to keep his siblings safe… But, even more important, he, finally, could be with Damon again! _It took me a while, little raven, but I always keep my promises._

“You’ve been busy,” said Elijah’s patronizing voice as some clothes were thrown next to him.

“That… was amazing!” Klaus said as he started to dressed himself. “What is the time, dear brother of mine?”

“It’s almost noon, of the twentieth.”

“What?!” Klaus whirled around so fast that his jeans ripped a bit. _That can’t be_! He thought as he tried to put the shirt on, realizing that he had been in wolf form for almost a day and half, but being so full of adrenaline, he hadn’t notice. He was frantic, almost desperate, he needed to go, now!

“What’s the rush, brother? You seemed a bit… concerned?”

 _He’s fine, he’s fine_ , Klaus kept repeating to himself as he started to made his way out of the woods, Elijah following him. The twenty-four hours were up, but Damon was being watched and even thought he might be in terrible pain (Klaus almost sob), he was still alive… _I promise I’ll spent the next thousand years making it up to you, little raven_ , Klaus thought as he kept on walking.

“Niklaus,” Elijah appeared in front of him. “I don’t know what has gotten into you, but you promise…”

“YES, I KNOW!” Klaus screamed and Elijah back away hissing. “Do you have a car?”

Elijah was eyeing him with caution, but he just nodded and signaled for Klaus to follow. _I’m on my way_ , Klaus tried to to sent that thought to Damon.

__ ___ __ __ __

Klaus climbed the stairs two at the time, but he knew something was extremely wrong when he reached the door of the apartment, which was ajar and he couldn’t hear anything on the other side; he barged in, looking around… No sign of Katerina anywhere, so he made a beeline towards the room and went to his knees when he realized the place was completely empty. He sobbed, gripping his head in his hands and digging in his nails. _Where are you, where are you, where are you?_

“Brother, I think this might be addressed to you,” Elijah was by the front door, holding a small piece of paper with words scribbled onto it. He fleeted to Elijah’s side and took the paper from his outstretched hand; it was a small note:

_You said to keep him in, so when he left, I also left. I’m sorry._

_Katerina_ , he thought as he rumpled the note in his hand. Of course she would found a loophole in the compulsion to leave. He was feeling so murderous, but he would track her down some other time, now he needed to find Damon before it was too late.

“Niklaus, I don’t know what’s happening, but a promise is a promise, so I expect you to…”

Elijah didn’t finish that sentence, since Klaus snapped his neck in a quick turn, for then moved towards the bedroom and took out the dagger, coated it in ash, and plunged it into Elijah’s heart. Klaus carried his brother’s stilled form towards the bed and made sure he was comfortable before leaving the apartment.

On his way out, he pulled out his phone and called the caretaker, informing of where he could collect Elijah and making sure the meek human knew what would happen if he wasn’t there in less than an hour… When that was taken care of, he stepped onto the street, thinking and thinking, where he could start to look for Damon.

 _I guess is a good thing you’re still alive_ , he thought as he started to track down Alaric Saltzman.

_________________________________

Damon had tried to locked himself in the cell, but it was harder doing it on his own, so he sort of improvised to force Stefan’s hand; still, with the werewolf venom inside of him, his regeneration powers were all over the place, so the burns from his arms were still a bit fresh and they stung like a son of bitch.

He really didn’t want to kill himself, but he knew that doing something extra might attract enough attention, but still, no one but Stefan and Ric had come to his cell, and that last one had been a complete shit show.

As weak as he was, with so little control over his emotions, Damon had sobbed and cried, begging for Ric’s forgiveness, which Ric had granted him, but still, Damon kept weeping and crying, it was so bad that Ric also had end up crying too, screaming at him and making him promise that he wouldn’t die, no matter what… By the end of it, Ric had told him he really cared for him and that he would go to make some inquiries by himself, but that he’ll be back in no time.

He was now all alone and the fever was rising, making his body shake uncontrollably, his mind loosing grip of reality as past memories assaulted him.

_Stefan and Rebekah had gone out for the night, which left them completely alone. Damon had never been someone who had second thoughts about what he did, but after that first kiss a week ago, he had tried to never be alone with Nik._

_It wasn’t that he hadn’t been with men before, he had, but those times had been fleeting and fast, never evolving into something meaningful; this time it was a bit different, it wasn’t about some casual hook up, since Damon did really like Nik and they saw each other on a daily basis, so he didn’t know how to approach this… whatever it was._

_When Nik had asked him to stay in that night, Damon almost said no, but refrained when Stefan and Rebekah had insisted they were only going out for a “quick bite” and they’ll be back before they noticed._

_So, now here he was, sitting in one of the most uncomfortable silences ever, closely examining the pattern on the rug, unsure of what to say._

_“I was wondering, Damon,” Nik said and Damon almost jumped out of his seat. “Did I do something to offend you? Or does my presence bother you?”_

_“No,” Damon answered with a bit more force than necessary, so he cleared his throat and started again. “That’s not it, I’m here, am I not?”_

_In a moment, Nik was sitting right next to him, plucking the glass of bourbon out of his hand and looking deep into his eyes. “Did you know us Originals can compel other vampires?” Nik asked. “I don’t do it out of common courtesy, but I don’t enjoy half-truths or lies, so I’ll ask you again: what is the matter?”_

_Damon took a long and deep breath, speechless for the first time in his long life, and looked down at Nik’s lips, which turned out to be a bad idea, seeing how his heart almost jumped out off his chest._

_“I see,” Nik said after a few moments in silence. “So, I guess I won’t bother you anymore. You and your brother are still welcome here, but I’ll make sure to keep my distance from now on,” Nik started to stand up from the couch, but Damon’s hand, as if having a mind of its own, moved to grab Nik’s sleeve, which halted the other’s man movements._

_“I’m sorry,” Damon whispered. “I might come across as someone who knows exactly what to say, but sometimes I just run out of words, like now,” he sighed and continued. “I don’t find you presence bothersome, I actually like your presence, here with me.”_

_Just stop talking, Damon smacked himself mentally._

_“I also enjoy your presence,” Nik smiled. “But I still don’t get the problem… Is it, maybe, because I am a man?”_

_“No, I’ve been with lots of men before,” Damon said and almost bit his tongue when he saw how Nik arched his brows at him. “What I mean is that I don’t have a problem with you being a man, the thing is that I’ve never felt like this for a man before.”_

_“And how do you feel?” Nik asked as he sat a bit closer to Damon._

_“Like I just can’t have enough,” Damon whispered almost into Nik’s lips. “Like this is the only right thing for me, like I haven’t known some part of me was there, until I kissed you.”_

_“Well,” Nik said as he nuzzled Damon’s neck with his nose. “Then I think we can figure this out together, if you want.”_

_Damon grabbed the other man’s face and guided it up, bringing his lips closer and felt like he could breathe again after a long week without air when they finally touched. Damon sighed with content, his eyes closing as Nik’s long arms encircled his neck and his fingers started to play with his hair._

_Putting one hand behind Nik’s neck, Damon deepen the kiss, groaning a bit when Nik’s tongue darted out, licking his lips and asking to be let inside, which Damon allowed; the simple friction of tongues and small clash of teeth sent him into a whirlwind of sensations that made his vampiric nature to come out, his fangs elongating and his eyes bleeding red._

_Nik broke the kiss for a moment, leaning out for a moment so he could appreciate Damon’s true face, caressing the little veins around those blue eyes; his face was also showing his vampiric self, and Damon had to admit that Nik was beautiful, no matter in which state he was._

_With his fangs completely elongated, Nik smiled at Damon, his hands tender and loving while he pushed the blue eyed vampire down onto the couch, climbing on the top of him and making the bulges in their pants come in contact, creating a pleasurable friction that made Damon arched his neck for Nik._

_Licking the tender flesh, Nik dropped a few kisses before sinking his teeth in, which granted him a delicious moan from the man under him; Damon hold him close, digging his fingers into the soft fabric of Nik’s jacket. After a few gulps, Nik raised his head up and smiled down at Damon, who was panting and moving under him, looking for more friction with less clothes between them._

_“You taste like bourbon and desire, little raven,” Nik husked voice said. “Let me keep tasting it.”_

“Sheriff, over here,” a voice pulled Damon from the memory he was starting to enjoy. He looked up and saw a face he didn’t recognize, but then Liz Forbes came into view.

“Open it,” Liz said and Damon’s body move on his own. He was on his feet in less that a second, knocking Liz unconscious and then latching at the neck of the unsuspecting deputy outside his cell; Damon drank him dry and the let the corpse hit the ground. He knew he shouldn’t be here, outside of his cell, but he couldn’t care less…

He needed to find him, he wanted to see his face one last time. _Nik, I’m coming_ , Damon thought as he made his way out of the Salvatore Manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is bit shorter than the others, but I wanted to put a lot of effort in the flashback scene and since the next chapter will also have a lot of flashbacks, I wanted to write something like a interlude for what's to come :D
> 
> Thank you for keep reading, for all your kudos and comments, you're amazing!
> 
> NOTE: This work needs revision and might contain grammar and spelling mistakes.


	6. Down memory lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relieving some repressed memories lead Damon down a path he might not be able to come back from, but he just knows he needs to see his face... feel his embrace... one last time.

He had track Saltzman for the better part of the afternoon, since the slippery human was nowhere to be found near the common places around town, so Klaus had improvised and compelled a few humans to call him the moment they laid eyes on the supposed hunter.

Now, the sun was going down and Damon was still missing, which made Klaus think that maybe he was being held inside a place where the hallucinations and venom-induced-rage couldn’t harm some poor bastard that crossed his path; as frantic as he had been for the past few hours, Klaus had been going up and down Mystic Falls, checking every crevice that he could find… He even went up to the Salvatore Manor, but there was no sound coming from within the walls that his now hybrid ears could peek, but seeing how massive the house was, it didn’t surprise him.

The possibility of just going inside had crossed his mind, but logic told him that that house was, most of the time, full to the brim by humans and, as far as Klaus knew, was also owned by humans so creatures like him couldn’t come inside. So he had sat for what felt like hours (when it had only been fifteen minutes), before deciding against it and going, once again, into the forest.

Klaus was a patient man, but knowing that everything he ever wanted could slip from his grasp in a moment was starting to sent him in a spiral or desperation, he kept blaming himself for not being able to tell the time when he was in wolf form, consumed by predatory bliss and adrenaline, Damon had never left his mind and heart, but time had become blurry and now, here was the consequence of those acts.

The sun had finally set in the horizon, shadows creeping from their hiding places were starting to claim the waking world and Klaus knew there was no time, Damon had been infected for almost 48 hours and the venom would start to weakened him until his heart stopped. A blinding rage overtook him, rage at him, for being so careless, rage at Damon, for being extremely stupid and selfless to had left the sanctuary of Saltzman apartment, rage at Katerina, whose death would be slow and painful, for letting Damon go.

As consumed by his emotions as he was, Klaus almost didn’t recognize the ringing from his phone, but his logical mind overtook the predator and he was able to pick up before the call went to voice mail.

“Talk,” he commanded in a voice that admitted no negatives.

“He’s going up north in a blue Camaro,” the voice of an older man said. “Towards the woods and the tombs of the founding families.”

Not needing to hear anything else, Klaus hanged up and ran, letting his new found strength and speed to carry him through the woods, reaching the old part of town. He kept following the roads and keeping his ears tuned to the roar of Damon’s car. After a few laps, he finally picked it up and turned left, keeping close to the trees, trying to asses the situation and what he might encounter.

The rickety old house in front of him exuded old power, probably a beacon for witch power, which made him snarl a bit at the building; Saltzman was parking Damon’s car in front of it, for the to stepped out with a cardboard box in his arms, filled with what look like old books.

 _So, you’re trying to find a cure_ , Klaus thought with certain tenderness. He hadn’t been Saltzman biggest fan and the man probably hated him after Klaus had murdered his girlfriend, but by the look of the determination in his eyes, the hybrid knew Saltzman was set on saving Damon. _But still, I don’t like to share_ , Klaus admitted to himself before fleeting forward and stepping in Saltzman path.

“Good evening,” Klaus almost purred, before taking the human by the lapels of his jacket and sending him crashing against the outside wall of the house. Books tumbled around him, but he didn’t care, he just closed the distance between him and his prey, and took Saltzman by the neck. “Where is he? Where is Damon?” Klaus almost growled, fangs elongated and eyes that promise violence. 

“Fuck… you…” Saltzman wheezed through his almost crushed windpipe. The human was brave, but Klaus knew hundreds of ways to break a human, so he just might get creative if Saltzman didn’t cooperate in the next five seconds.

“Where… is… Damon?” With every word, Klaus smashed Saltzman harder and harder against the wall, but the stupid human just groaned and looked at him with hate in his eyes. _Fine, your fingers are first_ , Klaus was about to start breaking bones when the human’s phone rang. Striking fast, Klaus plucked out the phone and let Saltzman crumpled form fall to the ground, the phone’s screen read _Stefan_.

“Ric, he’s gone…” Stefan voice was full of panic. “Liz Forbes came and let him out of his cell. She’s alright, a bit shaken, but one of her deputies… Damon is raging, there wasn’t anything human left in the poor bastard.” Stefan was climbing some stairs and Klaus felt idiotic for no thinking sooner of an underground cellar. “I think I know where is going, Liz told me she heard him said…”

“Stefan, where is he?” Saltzman was rising from the floor, but Klaus just turned and put his foot down onto his chest. ”Stefan, if you care for your brother you’ll tell me right now.”

“Klaus,” Stefan said. “Why are you…”

“I have nor the time or the patience to have this conversation right now, mate,” Klaus said. “But I promise I’ll tell you everything once I know where Damon is.”

There was silence on the other side of the line, and Klaus started to squeezed the phone so hard that he little gadget started groaning in his ear. _Don’t make come and force you to tell me, Stefan_ , he thought, knowing full well Damon wouldn’t appreciate if Klaus hurt his little brother, but he was loosing the last traces of his patience.

“Stefan,” Klaus almost snarled.

“He said: _I’m coming, Nik_ ,” Stefan murmured.

“Meet me in the town’s square,” Klaus replied and finally crushed the little cellphone in his hand. He then let his foot slide from Saltzman form and let the human stand. “You don’t need those,” Klaus pointed at the fallen books. “I’m the only thing he needs.”

Before the human could answer anything, Klaus turned around and fleet at high speed towards the heart of town, knowing full well where Damon was going. _He’s going back, he’s coming home_ , Klaus ran faster and a silent tear fell from his eye.

____________________________________________

The small logical part that Damon still had inside of him was thankful that, apparently, everyone had gone to the movie night someone had assembled together to keep the spirits up or whatever that thing was about, because if some unsuspecting human might have seen Damon in that moment, they would have probably run away screaming, since he looked like a very unhinged serial killer (it wasn’t far from the truth, but still).

He was sweating profusely, his hands, face and most of his clothes were cover in a thick layer of blood that had belong to the poor deputy that was in his cellar at a very wrong time, but in the form of a small miracle, Damon was thankful he hadn’t hurt Liz in his frenzy; his legs could barely keep moving and his body seemed on the brink of shutting down, but his mind kept screaming that he just needed to see _him_ one last time.

His feet dragged him a bit further and then he decided to sit down for a minute, just to recover his breath and for his head to stop spinning…

_“So, I guess five glasses of bourbon are more than enough. Are you going to tell me now what’s going on?” Stefan asked, his tone completely neutral, while Damon hurried the last of his drink._

_Both brothers were sitting at a small bar, hidden underneath a bakery shop around the corner from where their apartment was located; they had decided to take a night off from going to Gloria’s bar, claiming that maybe they needed to talk._

_Damon rolled the glass in his hands, his mind wondering back to what had happened just a few hours ago: how Nik’s hands had pushed aside his jacket, then undone the buttons from his shirt, one by one at a tortuous speed, how he murmured into his ear with his soft and husky voice sweet things, how he had smiled when Damon wanted to rushed things and he stopped his eager hands, saying that being immortal beings, there was no rush and they could enjoy the night._

_He had been so into the feeling of having a bared chest Nik on top of him that he hadn’t heard the front door opened and closed, nor the steps from his brother and Bekah closing on the threshold to the living room; it wasn’t until after a small laugh from Bekah, that Damon had descended from the bliss of ecstasy where he had been for the last hour._

_They were still with their trousers on, but Damon saw what Stefan was seeing right at that moment: his big brother, disheveled and with his hair tousled, bare chest and bare foot, his blue eyes clouded with desire, while he laid under Nik, who was in no best condition after the very, very amazing make out session the had been having._

_As in sync with his thoughts, Nik had pushed himself from Damon, helping the younger vampire to his feet and then, with all the elegance of a king, retrieving their clothes and placing them in Damon’s hands; he had then turned around, asked Stefan and Bekah if the had had a good night and then offered all of them some dessert, but Stefan’s eyes never left his brother’s, so Damon had declined with all the ceremony he could possible gather in such a state of undress and said that he needed some “bonding time”._

_After he and Nik were dressed again, both Original siblings had walked the brothers to the door, Bekah placing and chaste kiss on Stefan’s lips, while Nik just caress Damon’s knuckles with his lips, saying good night in what was becoming his usual phrase for Damon. “I’ll see you tomorrow, little raven.”_

_And here they were now, Damon trying to put his emotions and thoughts in order to talked to his little brother… It shouldn’t be this hard, seeing how Stefan was no stranger to Damon’s preferences and having accepted that his big brother loved women and men alike, but never had Stefan witness so much passion and abandon from Damon before, not even with… well, not even with Katherine._

_“Damon,” Stefan said. “Do you… you know… like Nik?”_

_Damon couldn’t help but laugh, his little brother’s question bringing back memories from when they were younger and human, both not knowing what awaited them; Stefan had asked the same question when he had witnessed his brother kissing another boy in the woods, not understanding why his father was so angry at Damon and why he had been so adamant that Stefan never did the same… After that incident, their father always said that there was something “wrong” with Damon, so when he came of age, Giuseppe hadn’t hesitated in sending Damon to the army._

_But even then, Stefan never judged him, never thought of him as someone abnormal or wicked, his little brother just wanted to understand, and now he wanted to do it again._

_“Yes, Stef,” Damon finally answer after laughing. “I really, really like Nik; still, I didn’t want you to find out so abruptly.”_

_“Well, maybe next time you should go to the bedroom,” Stefan said, a bit awkward but with a sincere smile._

_“Don’t worry, baby brother, I won’t let your pure mind to be polluted again like that,” Damon responded, also smiling._

_“You know I don’t care,” Stefan said, the smile gone. “Damon, I don’t want you to hide things from me, we promised we’ll never do it again. If you want to, I don’t know, date Nik, do it… Don’t hide it or be ashamed by it, you’re my brother, and if you’re happy, I’m also happy. Just remember, there are no secrets between us, not anymore.”_

_Damon nodded and patted Stefan in the shoulder, his eyes were stinging a little from the tears he was holding back, but he was happy… His brother would never leave him alone and would never disowned him, it was a promise they made after everything, and Damon was intended to keep it that way._

A car honked and Damon was back in the present, his mind was still spinning and the memory he had shared with Stefan all those years ago was as fresh as ever, but seeing how it had been tied to Nik’s existence, Damon had forgot… But he remembered now, how Stefan had welcomed the idea of his big brother dating Nik, how he teased the blond vampire when they were being idiots, how Stefan’s eyes were tender and full of happiness when he watched Damon and Nik dance together.

Damon took a deep breath and stumbled out of the bench, his strength renewed, he wanted to see Nik, but he also wanted to see Stefan before it was over; nothing would keep him from returning to Stefan, so he needed to hurry.

__ ___ __ __ __ __

Damon kept close to the shadows, not wanting to cause panic if someone saw him, but walking straight was becoming harder and harder, and why Ric needed to live so far away? Damon wasn’t even sure that Nik would be there, but he had come this far, if he wasn’t there, he might ask Katherine to call Stefan so he could be with him.

He was getting close to the town square, the voices from hundreds of people mixed with the bad sound of the movie was starting to made him cringe, but he pushed forward; when he was assessing how to crossed the crowded park without being seen, a shadow crossed his vision.

He thought he was loosing consciousness, but then Damon realized it was just the shadow of a bird, a big black bird… Was that? Oh, the irony of it…

_“A raven?” Damon asked when he saw what was inside the little box Nik had given him. A delicate but very ornate lapel pin rested in blue velvet._

_“Of course,” Nik responded. They were sitting across each other on a little restaurant; Nik had insisted on “going on a birthday date” after Stefan had told him his brother’s birthday was close. “Have you preferred something else, love?” Nik voice was steady, but Damon noted a small inflection of doubt._

_“Not really,” the black haired man said with a smile, caressing the small bird taking flight inside the box. “I’m your raven, but I also want to have something to think of you.”_

_“You have,” Nik said while he took Damon’s hand, and with the other took out the pin and put it under the candle light. Along the raven’s winds, in small and delicate detail, there were some runes Damon didn’t recognize._

_“Is that a spell? Are you making your witches work over time?”_

_“Why? Are you scared I’m binding you or something,” Nik said and laughed when Damon rolled his eyes at him. “Easy, love, it’s just something I want you to keep close to your heart.” They were quiet for a moment, and then Nik stretched across the table, putting the pin in Damon’s lapel, and the covering it with his hand._

_“The whole truth is, that my heart belongs to you” Nik whispered. “It has since our first kiss, sometimes I even think it was yours from the moment we met. This gift is that truth, the truth of what I feel for you and what I will always feel for you… I love you, Damon Salvatore and, trust me, the eternity seems so much beautiful now that you are in it.”_

_Damon put his hand on top of Nik’s and then rose along with him from the table, meeting halfway, he kissed the blond man with such passion that some of the other people in the restaurant had to look away because they felt they were intruding in something personal. After a moment, both men rest their foreheads together, their hands clasped between them and their breaths mixing._

_“I love you, Niklaus Mikaelson,” Damon said. “Now and forever, the whole truth is that I’ll go wherever you’ll go, my heart belongs to you along with my soul. Being with you and watching eternity unfold is the best gift you could have given me.”_

Someone laughed on the other side of the street and the world formed around him again… Damon’s head was spinning, his heart was beating almost painfully in his chest and his whole body was burning, but still he pressed forward; he knew he should have rounded the town’s square, but going across was a lot faster, seeing how he was starting to see double.

He still kept to the shadows, on the other side of the huge screen, praying that there weren’t any lovers hiding behind the trees, he stumbled, caught himself against benches and trees, he kept on walking, forcing his body to reached Ric’s apartment and the original hybrid that, hopefully, would be inside.

A few more paces and he heard a voice calling his name, a voice he knew so well, so he turned around, slowly so to not lost his balance, and there, under the canopy of some ancient trees was Elena, a phone to her ear and her lips moving, she was talking to someone…

Damon’s vision blurred again, and Elena was there, but she was not Elena anymore, past and present melted together and he saw only Katherine… Katherine, who took so much from him and his brother, Katherine, who had also taken so much from Nik, and then a blinding fury almost made him roar…

_The first time Nik told him about the curse, Damon had laughed, thinking it was some kind of joke, but when Nik didn’t laugh in return, he knew this was something important. He and Nik had been at Gloria’s, long before its opening time, since Nik had insisted he needed to talk to him about something._

_They had been sitting at their booth, two glasses of bourbon between them, and Nik was talking quietly and fast, fast enough that no human ear could catch up what he was saying: he told Damon about his and his siblings creation, and how he had figure out he wasn’t “just a vampire” the first he killed someone and his werewolf side was awoken from within him. How his father, who wasn’t his real father, had deemed him an abomination, a monster, and had made his mother to sealed away his werewolf side._

_Through all the confession, Nik’s eyes were downcast, his shoulders hunched and his fingers completely white from the sheer force of holding his hands together; Damon had been silent, listening to what the man that, just one week ago, had told him he loved him and had asked him to be with him forever._

_When Nik finally reached the part about the ritual to break the curse, Damon almost stop breathing: the ritual was ancient magic and required the sacrifice of a vampire, a werewolf and a doppelganger; the last time Nik tried to complete the ritual, said doppelganger had been no other that Katherine. Nik then told him how Katherine had manipulated Elijah, Nik’s older brother, into helping her and how that had broken his and Elijah’s bond._

_“When you told me about how you and Stefan had become vampires,” Nik said. “I was glad, glad that she didn’t come between you,” he was still looking downwards and his voice was quiet. “I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while now, but I’ve never seemed to find the right time, always afraid that you might run from me when you knew the truth… But I always keep my promises, little raven, and when I told you a week ago that I will always love you and will never keep anything from you was the truth… Now you know, just what kind of monster you’re giving you heart to.”_

_Damon sat still for a moment, just watching the man in front of him, wondering what had happened for Nik to think that Damon would ever think of him as a monster; reaching across the table, Damon took Nik’s hands into his own, making the other man flinched as if he had been struck by lighting._

_“Nik,” Damon whispered. “Nik, look at me,” the blond man looked up and almost cried when he saw all the love in those blue eyes. “You’re not a monster, nor an abomination… You are the most amazing creature on this planet, unique and powerful. I don’t know what happened, but I will never, ever, run away from you, not for this, not for anything.”_

_Nik let his head rest in their entwined hands, breathing heavily, so Damon moved around the table to sit right next to him, letting go of his hands to encircled his broad shoulders, dropping little kisses on his blond hair._

_“I’ll help you,” Damon said at last. “If you ever find a way of breaking this curse, I promise I’ll be there to see that it breaks, to see that you’re finally free… And, until then, I’ll keep your secret, little wolf.”_

_“Little wolf?” Klaus snorted a bit and Damon felt how his humor lighted up a bit._

_“Well, if I’m to be your raven, then you might as well be my wolf,” Damon said. “Even when that sounds cheesy as fuck.”_

_“No, I like it,” Nik said, sitting straight and dropping a small kiss on Damon’s lips. “The raven and the wolf, it sounds like a love ballad.”_

“Damon! Damon!” someone was calling his name and taking his hand. “Come on, we need to get you out of here.”

Damon was being dragged out of the town’s square, his feet stumbling, his eyes unfocused, his mind still trapped between past and present, memory and reality; when he stumbled again, a set of slim arms encircled him and kept him from going down, but just barely. Elena was huffing, sweating, fighting with keeping them on their feet and away from eyesight; she was saying something, something about Stefan and how the needed to find him.

He went still and Elena stumbled backwards, caught with her guard down, he collided against Damon’s vibrating chest; she turned around, wanting to know what was happening, an almost screamed at what she saw: Damon was displaying all his vampiric traits, the bloody eyes, the small veins, the elongated fangs, and he snarling with a fury that froze Elena with fear.

Moving faster than he had been able in the last hours, she took Elena by the neck and pin her against a tree, his body covering hers, his fangs pressed against her neck with enough force to make her whimper.

“Damon, you are hurting me,” she sobbed and Damon squeezed her neck tighter. A part of his foggy mind screamed that he needed to stop, but another part of him, filled with rage and pain, could only see Katherine there, sobbing and begging for her life, just as he always wanted to see her: begging for everything she’d done, for coming between him and Stefan, for making him go on a wild goose chase, for making him feel like he was not worth it, for making Nik think of himself as monster, for denying Nik the opportunity to be free, for destroying what Nik valued most in this world: his family.

And then, he also saw Elena, sweet, innocent, Elena… How she had manipulated him, guilt tripped him, made him and everyone else around her always do her bidding, how she cared so little for others feelings and wants, and how she gaslighted even her closer friends into doing what she wanted, how she had made him and Stefan go at each others throats, fought for her, for her attention… And then, everything clicked: Katherine and Elena were not so different from each other, and Damon was sure Elena was worse, because she hid beneath a sweet exterior but it was as ruthless and selfish as Katherine.

“You’re the monster,” Damon whispered against her neck, almost kissing the tender skin. “You just want it all and don’t care who you drag in the mud to get it,” Damon closed all the space between their bodies, so if anyone had seen them, they might’ve think they were a couple enjoying their night out.

“I hate you,” Damon snarled and Elena tried to get away, but his fury was so palpable that her movements didn’t register in Damon’s mind. Letting every past wound, every moment of desperation, every time he felt unwanted and unlovable, he lunged at her neck… It wasn’t a small bite or a tender one, it was raw and savage, pieces of flesh got stuck between Damon’s teeth, Elena’s blood flowed down his throat and around his mouth.

Not more than a few seconds went by, when a couple of strong arms encircled his chest, not tugging from him, just holding him, a body pressed against his back, a nose nuzzling his neck; a part of Damon registered the scent that came with that embrace, musky and wild, strong and so familiar, so he let go from Elena’s whimpering form, letting her collapse against the tree, her hand holding back the flow of blood.

“I’m here,” a voice said and Damon turned around in the circle of those arms. Nik was there, the real Nik, not a vision or a memory, but the man he had last seen in a forest clearing a couple of days ago. His blond hair was tussled, his clothes rumpled and Damon could see a few streaks of dirt against his neck, but he was Nik… His smile was still as tender and loving as always, his forest eyes were filled with the same love that made Damon’s knees go weak and the fierceness of his strength seemed to melt away when he held Damon.

“Hello, little raven,” Nik whispered while he caressed Damon’s bloody face, smearing a bit of blood into his fingers.

“Nik”, Damon whispered and let his forehead came in contact with Nik’s. Both men took a deep breath, just as if they hadn’t been able to breath properly for years. “I’m home,” Damon said in a small voice, smiling, before darkness pulled him under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, chapter six and we are just two chapters away from finishing this little story :D I put a lot of effort into the flashbacks, since they are becoming my favorite part of writing this, so I'm utterly convince to do a set of one shot of Damon's and Nik's time together in the past, but for now, I'll focus on giving this fic the ending it deserves. 
> 
> Thank you for keep reading, for all your kudos and your comments! You guys are the best!
> 
> NOTE: This work needs revision and might contain spelling and grammar mistakes.


	7. The raven and the wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night is almost over, but before it ends, the raven and the wolf will find each other once again. 
> 
> WARNING! This chapter contains scenes of mild smut, not extremely explicit, but enough for me to put a disclaimer in here... Enjoy!

Salvatore Manor finally appeared at the distance and Nik hold Damon’s still form closer to his chest, trying to keep him warm, seeing how his was almost slipping trough his fingers; after the black haired vampire had crumbled down into his arms, Klaus had almost gone down to his knees sobbing, convinced he had arrived too late and the venom had already consumed Damon completely, but the weak stuttered of Damon’s heart was still audible enough to give him strength.

“Let him go,” Elena had said as Stefan tended to her wounds, ripping his wrist open with his teeth and offering his blood to the silly girl, so she didn’t die from blood loss and the open wound Damon had caused in his frenzy. Klaus had been tempted to let his love killed her, but knew Stefan wouldn’t trust him to help Damon, so he intervened in the only way he wanted to: holding Damon as he had wanted to held him since he found him again.

“We need to leave, now,” Stefan was distraught and almost on edge, seeing how his brother was becoming paler and paler in Klaus’ arms. “I’ll take you home,” he said to Elena while he picked her up.

“No! What are you doing?!” Elena tried to push Stefan, but she was still to weak to wrestle. “Stefan, why is he here?! He’ll hurt Damon!”

“I will never hurt him!” Klaus almost growled, holding Damon with such care and devotion. “Not that you’ll understand any of it.”

“Enough,” Stefan said, his eyes never leaving Damon. “What do you need?”

“I just need a quiet place, far from curious eyes and ears,” he had always been careful about his ability to heal werewolves bites from other vampires, seeing how desperation was the catalyst for trouble, so when Stefan said the Manor was their best choice, both vampires fleet with renewed intention.

Stefan arrived first, almost kicking the front door from its hinges, and, not thinking about the consequences, Klaus raced in; when no magic or barrier stood in his way, he wanted to screamed! He could have saved Damon sooner, if only he hadn’t been so out of his mind to checked the Manor earlier.

 _Not the time_ , he chastised himself and followed Stefan up the stairs, who was still carrying a wary Elena in his arms. When they arrived to a close door in the middle of the house, Stefan accommodated the annoying child in one arm so he could open the door with his free hand.

Damon’s room was everything Klaus knew it would be: open, big and clean, with a king size bed that took most of the space, a giant fire place in front of it, and an adjacent bath that followed the same aesthetic. _You never were someone to cling to unnecessary things_ , Klaus thought as he walked towards the bed and rested Damon on top the comforter, pushing his still sweaty hair from his forehead.

“Stop touching him,” Elena had finally climbed down from Stefan’s arms. The idiotic girl was almost halfway towards the bed, her arms extended, as she was trying to shield Damon from Klaus.

“One more step,” Klaus hissed, his body moving to cover Damon from the selfish girl, fangs in full view. “And I’ll correct the situation of you still being alive.”

“Elena, stop,” Stefan had pulled her back towards the door. “Please, go wait in my room, please,” Stefan wasn’t asking, he was ordering, but he still did it with a quiet voice, so Elena would listen. After one last murderous look aimed at Klaus, she turned around and walked out.

“Please,” Stefan begged, while he took a step towards Damon, his hands twitching, probably from wanting to reach and touch his dying brother. “I’ll give you anything, but please save him, save my Damon.”

“We’ll discuss this later,” Klaus said with a tender voice, understanding Stefan’s feelings and allowing him to get close enough so he could take Damon’s hand in his. “Now go, no one should come to this part of the house,” Stefan went to his knees and kissed his brother’s forehead, then he stood up and walked towards the door. “And Stefan? No listening, please.”

With a tense nod, Stefan closed the door and when his steps faded deep into the house, Klaus climbed into bed, holding Damon’s body against his, resting the blue eyes vampire’s head against his chest, caressing his now cool cheek and murmured against his hair.

“Little raven,” Klaus said and felt how Damon stirred weakly in his arms. Klaus lifted his own wrist to his mouth and made a deep gauge with his teeth, then he pressed the bleeding wound to Damon’s mouth. “Please, little raven, you need to drink.”

At first, nothing happened, but then Damon’s mouth opened a bit and Klaus almost groaned when he felt that hot tongue licking his blood; after a few tentative licks and acting on instinct, Damon’s fangs grow and he bit down hard, taking big and messy gulps of blood.

Klaus just let him, resting his head on top of Damon’s, humming a long forgotten lullaby, a lullaby that talked about ancient places and true love; when he had taken his fill, Damon let go of Klaus’ arms and he remained completely still, then he turned a little, opening his eyes and looking up.

“Hello there,” Klaus said and, although a bit reluctant, let Damon moved from his grasp and allowed him to pushed himself from the bed, so he could recline against headboard of the bed, his eyes at the same height as Klaus’.

As in a dream, Damon raised one hand and, in slow motion, placed it on Klaus’ face, then he started tracing every part of that face: Klaus’ high cheekbones, his expressive eyebrows, the little wrinkles from laughter on the side of his eyes, his straight and regal nose and, finally, his full and slightly parted lips.

“Nik,” his name, the name Damon had picked to call him, rolled from his tongue and landed in between them… That single word asked so many question, had so much feeling and heartbreak, so much need, that Nik just couldn’t wait any longer, so in a very slow and deliberate way, he moved closer and closer, letting Damon have enough time to move away if he wanted to; when the other man didn’t do anything to keep the distance between them existing, Nik simply leaned in, closing his eyes, and kissed Damon Salvatore.

The kiss wasn’t something urgent or raw, it was tender and chaste, close mouthed, only their lips touching, no hugs, no hands looking for something to touch, just the moment of somebody that has been searching for something for a long time finally finding it.

A few moments passed, maybe just seconds, maybe eons, and Klaus broke the kiss. He opened his eyes and saw that Damon’s were searching his face, his pupils were big enough to almost swallow the blue in them; he then put his hand, the same one that had traced his faced, behind Nik’s head and without asking for permission or saying anything, Damon pulled the blond man towards him… This kiss was different, it was all searing pain and desperation, teeth clashing, tongues darting around, almost as if looking to devoured the other’s mouth.

Groaning, Nik pushed Damon down with enough forced to bruised the other man’s shoulders, then he climbed on top of him and straddled his hips; he kept kissing those beautiful and sarcastic lips, tasting the flavor of the mixed bloods inside Damon’s mouth, cradling the blue eyes vampire’s head with tenderness but with enough force to no let him escape.

Damon, still on his back and under Nik, entangled his arms around the blond man’s neck, pulling him down and crashing their mouths in an almost brutal way, pulling and playing with those blond curls he hadn’t know he had miss.

After a few more minutes, Damon broke the kiss, needing some air; he let Nik pushed himself from him, which let the blond man hovering over him, his green eyes were now completely gold, the little veins had multiply around the edges, and his new and sharp fangs were completely elongated.

Feeling reckless and a bit excited, Damon put one his thumbs against Nik’s lips, pushing it aside so he could see those longer and lethal fangs in the blond man’s mouth: they were larger and more brutal-looking than those of an average vampire, but they suited Nik.

_“So, what happens when you break the curse?” Damon asked from the bath tub. Nik was coming towards him with a set of candles to place around the bath; when he finished, he entered the tub behind Damon, cradling the other man and letting him rest on his chest._

_“What do you mean?” Nik asked as he started washing Damon’s hair._

_“What I mean is: there will be no more bites during sex?” Nik laughed in his ear and Damon felt how the other man’s dick pressed even harder against his back. “What? Everyone has a kink, right?”_

_“Don’t worry, little raven,” Nik said and then nip at Damon’s neck, which granted him a small groan of pleasure from the blue eyed man. “Even if a bite you, you only need to bite me back…”_

“You were always the cure,” Damon said in the present, the last memory fading faster than before.

“I told you before, little raven: I will always take care of you, even if the danger comes from me, you’ll always be safe,” Nik whispered, his eyes were once again the shade of the forest and his fangs had tucked themselves away.

Damon caress Nik’s face once again, and the he noticed that the dirt he had saw earlier on Nik’s neck was in more than one place, also, his face was now smeared with bits of dried blood, probably from Damon’s mouth.

Feeling a bit self-conscious, Damon realized he wasn’t in better shape: the sweat from his fever was still clinging to him, his hands, face and clothes were all cover in more than one person’s blood, his hair was all messy and oily, so he was pretty sure he looked like shit.

As if reading his thoughts, Nik pushed himself completely from Damon and stood from the bed, offering his hand to the still recovering man. “A shower?”

__ __ __ __ __

They walked hand in hand to the bathroom, and a part of Damon was screaming that he shouldn’t be doing this. _He’s Klaus, what are you doing?_ But the other part, of his head just whispered: _He’s Nik_.

When they reached the shower, Damon eyed the tub, remembering the last memory, but decided against it, since he really needed some deep scrubbing to washed away all the grime from his body.

He turned around, giving his back to Nik, and started to almost ripped the clothes from his body, fully convinced he would probably burn them; after stepping out from his boots, he almost jumped into the enormous shower, opening the hot water and reaching for the soap.

“Aren’t you coming?” He asked without turning back, not ashamed, but unsure about what might happened next. _It’s not like you just haven’t make out a few minutes ago_ , a part of him said, but Damon just shut it down.

After a few moments of silence, Damon caught the movements and then the falling of clothes to the floor, which made his skin got goose bumps just by thinking of Nik completely naked behind him; he felt hypersensitive when Nik’s hand reached around, not once touching his bare skin, just asking for Damon to gave him the soap.

When the cold bar of soap touch is back, he almost jumped, but willed his body from moving and just enjoy the sensation of being washed; Nik then step a bit closer, washing away the foam with his bare hands, which in turned made Damon arched his head backwards, letting the hot water fall straight into his face.

Nik then pressed his forehead to Damon’s shoulder and hugged him from the waist, putting both his bodies in complete contact. _Wait a minute_ , Damon thought when he felt the rough edges of Nik’s jeans pressed against his backside.

Turning around, Damon looked down, at his complete naked body and Nik’s half naked one… The blond man had only taken off his shirt, jacket and boots, but had leave his dark jeans on, still buttoned up.

“What are you doing, you idiot?” For some reason, Damon felt a bit exasperated by seeing Nik still half clothed, his jeans now completely soaking wet.

“I don’t want to push anything,” the blond man said, his eyes completely fixated on Damon’s, as if didn’t wanted to look at any other place. “You’re still recovering and although you seemed to have some of memories back, I don’t know…”

“Then, give them back to me,” Damon pulled Nik from his jeans loops, leaving almost no space between them and putting one hand behind the blond man’s neck. “Let me remember everything.”

“It may be too much,” Nik said. “The sensations, the feelings, you are still a bit weak and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I wasn’t asking,” Damon growled, shedding his human side, fangs out and blood in his eyes. “I am demanding them, those are my memories you took, I want them back.”

“Then,” Nik pushed forward, making Damon’s back collide with the shower’s wall. The blond man trapped Damon’s face with his hand and looked deep into those blue eyes. “Remember, now.”

As Nik’s pupils change in size, a huge wave of memories came crashing down on Damon, just as if a wall had broken down and light was now shinning in the dark places of Damon’s mind…

_Nik’s kisses. Nik’s caresses. Nik’s smiles._

_“I love you, little raven,” Nik told him under the light of the moon._

_Nik’s hands in his. Nik’s lips on his neck. Nik’s mouth traveling down his naked body._

_“I love you, too, little wolf,” Damon whispered in Nik’s ear while they were dancing to a slow song._

_Nik’s naked body bending down. Nik’s form under him while he straddled him. Nik’s moans mixed with his. Nik’s panting,_

_“Take me,” Damon moaned for the first time._

_Nik entering him, fussing their bodies together. Nik kissing his column. Nik biting him when he came, making Damon come too._

_“Take me, too, little raven,” Nik begged into Damon’s ear._

_Damon’s hands pushing open Nik’s thighs. Damon pushing forward, groaning as Nik took him. Both panting and sweating as they came in unison._

Damon slide a bit down the wall, but Nik’s strong hands kept him from falling the ground. His head was spinning, his heart was beating savagely, his skin was so sensitive he could feel every single wisp of air against it. Looking up, Damon could almost have cried… This beautiful creature had been his, and still was, it would always be. And he was his, and would always be too.

“Dam…” Nik started to said, but was stopped when Damon kissed him again. This time, the kiss was both, urgent and patient, raw and tender, hard and soft. Damon threw his arms around Nik’s shoulders, and the blond man hugged him by the waist, crowding him against the wall.

The kiss evolved, tongues dancing together, moans of pleasure leaving both men; when Nik descended to kiss Damon’s throat, the blue eyed vampire took advantage of the small space between their bodies to unbuttoned Nik’s jeans and started to push them down, but soaking wet as they were, it wasn’t an easy job.

Nik laughed a little and pushed himself from Damon, locking eyes with the black haired man, he started to bent down, crouching in front of Damon, until he finally ended on his knees, ripping apart the jeans stuck at his heels… But he didn’t get up again, he just moved forward, putting his hands at each side of Damon’s hips; Nik glanced up, his eyes clouded with desire, asking for permission.

Damon just let his head fall against the wall and then, Nik took him on his mouth… Damon almost came undone then and there, but regained enough control to enjoyed the incredible pleasure he was getting from the other man's mouth, wet and warm, moving at different paces and making Damon moaned with abandon.

“Nik,” Damon sighed, and then the other man moved one of his hands towards the center of Damon, teasing him and playing with his entrance, just enough to make Damon squirmed. Then, Nik just pushed up, never missing a bit with his mouth, and started to worked on both sides of Damon.

The pleasure was mixed with pain, seeing how Damon hadn’t been with a man in decades, but still, his body remember, so his hips started to pick a pace, rubbing him against the now two fingers inside of him and entering deeper and deeper into Nik’s mouth.

When he knew he couldn’t hold it together anymore, Nik stopped… He pulled his fingers out and took his mouth away, which made Damon whimper (a sound he would never admit of making). Smiling like, well, like a wolf, Nik stood up and pulled Damon for a searing kiss under the still hot shower.

Damon groaned when he tasted his flavor on Nik’s tongue, then he gasped when Nik lifted him up, and an instinct from within him, made Damon encircled Nik’s waist with his legs… Smiling, Nik turned around and completely soaked, they landed back on Damon’s bed.

“You’re totally paying for the dry cleaning,” Damon teased and Nik smiled was even wider.

“Whatever you want, little raven,” Nik said while he positioned himself over Damon. “I made a promise that you might no have listen, but for next thousand years, I’m planning of dotting you with whatever you want or need.”

“Then, you can start right now,” Damon murmured. “I want to remember, completely,” he pulled Nik’s face down and whispered in his ear the same words he told him on their first night together. “Take me.”

Kissing him with enough love to try and compensate so many years apart, Nik pushed forward, slowly letting Damon remember him with his body too; both men groaned when their bodies finally became one once again, their breaths quick and shallow. Nik then started moving, slow at first, letting Damon choose the pace of their reunion, but as it was usual with his little impatient raven, the black haired man put one leg around Nik’s waist and the other up his shoulder.

The moment for making tender love would come, but right now, both of them just needed to feel the reckless abandon of passion, so Nik started to move faster and faster, one of his hands clasping one of Damon’s, while the other latched with and almost enough force to bruised at Damon’s hip.

Finally synchronizing, both men started fucking just as they used to back in that beautiful months in the 20’s. Groaning, panting, moaning, both Damon and Nik called for each other’s name, while holding themselves together.

“Bite me,” Damon begged just when he felt he was close to coming. “Nik, bite me, please.”

Nik’s new nature came forward, golden blood eyes and sharp fangs, which Damon answered with his own blue blood eyes and his smaller but still sharp fangs; Nik bent down, dropped a few butterfly kisses on Damon’s throat, to then, finally biting down… The bite was painful, laced as it was with werewolf venom, but it was so pleasurable at the same time, that Damon shook while he and Nik finally came, turning his head and biting down on Nik’s wrist.

The act of sharing blood is one of the most personal moments between vampires and this wasn’t the exception… Lust, love, need and want mixed together inside Damon and Nik’s bodies, feeling what the other was feeling.

Nik stopped biting first and let Damon took a couple more gulps of his own blood, just to be sure his own bite wouldn’t harm his little raven; when Damon finally stopped, both where now covered in cum, blood, sweat and some dry foam from their interrupted shower, but they didn’t care… They were together, and they had found each other once again.

“You kept your promise,” Damon said, touching Nik’s face.

“I told you I would,” Nik kissed Damon’s palm. “Now, I can finally keep you safe, forever.”

Damon smiled a sweet smile and Nik responded with one of his own, both so completely satisfy and happy, that they didn’t want to move, but eventually they did, knowing there were still things to do and resolve… But first, they enjoyed a complete shower in the arms of the other.

“I love you, little raven,” Nik whispered.

“I love you, too, little wolf,” Damon responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost done with this little fic that began as a form to get me into the writing mood again and I'm a bit sad to see it ending, so I might write another fics involving Damon and Klaus very soon, ones might be just one shots and other might a bit longer :D
> 
> The next and final chapter will be up on Wednesday! Thank you for all your kudos and comments, you guys are amazing!
> 
> NOTE: This work needs revision and might contain grammar and spelling mistakes.


	8. Epilogue: Three months later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end? Or just a new beginning...

Stefan was drinking, which wasn’t something so weird these days, since drinking alcohol, specially bourbon, seemed to be the only thing that could keep him grounded to reality and to numb every single destructive feeling he harbored inside… He had drowned himself in alcohol for the best part of the last month, stopped attending school (which he considered was a waste of time) and had move to what had been Damon’s room.

The giant wall behind Damon’s bed was now covered, from side to side, with all sort of things Stefan thought could help him find his lost big brother: post-its, news clips, photographs, police reports, long strings of wool connecting and twisting around everything, until all the strings collided with a small piece of paper in the center of the wall: a very little piece of tore paper Stefan had found almost three months ago with just five words written on it in Damon’s perfect calligraphy.

_“Wait for me, little brother”_

On that fateful night three months ago, Stefan had hold onto his promise to Klaus about not listening and not going into Damon’s part of the house, until the guilt trip Elena put him through finally eroded his patience and he had fleet at such great speed inside the house that, when he finally reached Damon’s room, he had skidded to a stop.

Stefan’s sense of smell picked many scents behind Damon’s closed door: the warmth of steam, the acre smell of burned fabric, the strong undertones of his brother favorite soap, the metallic feel of blood and, Stefan swallowed, the undeniable scent of sex… Taking a deep breath, Stefan had opened the door, ready to face anything, but the room was empty.

Damon’s bed was bare from all his covers, the big chimney was still smoking with what look like a big ball of burnt clothes (Stefan could see what looked like a piece of his brother’s jeans and maybe some leftover of Klaus’ jacket) and Damon’s bathroom was still warm from the shower… Looking around, Stefan couldn’t see anything that might tell him if his brother had been hurt by Klaus, but the panic that was bubbling inside his stomach was very, very real.

He then glimpsed something on his brother’s nightstand that made him see double, so he walked towards it: Damon’s cellphone, smashed and completely useless, was on top of the piece of paper that would become Stefan’s obsession.

At first, Elena had made all her friends to come and help in Damon’s search, seeing how her boyfriend was bent on finding his brother no matter what, so Ric, Bonnie, Caroline, Jeremy and even Tyler, have been coming and going, bringing more and more information that might help, but as the days turned into weeks, Stefan could see that none of them, not even Elena, believed they would ever find Damon.

Their helped had come to a stop when Tyler, believing Stefan wasn’t listening, had made a side comment about how Damon was probably already dead and everything was a waste of time, so Stefan had broken his jaw unapologetically, screaming and hissing, Ric and Jeremy having a very hard time containing the raging vampire.

“You have no right,” Stefan bellowed, fangs out, ready to killed the stupid boy. “My brother is gone because of you! You are the reason he was dying; you are the reason I had to asked Klaus for help! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”

After that, Tyler and Caroline stopped coming, then Jeremy, then Bonnie, and finally Elena only came when she thought Stefan would accept going out to clear his mind, but after he started skipping school and drinking on a daily basis, she had resorted to call before hand and not arriving until Stefan was sober.

The only exception had been Ric, who wasn’t as obsessed as Stefan in finding Damon but still provided the best aid and the best clues; the bad thing was that he had to divided his time into school, checking on Elena and Jeremy and kept up with the investigation, so Stefan had promise to keep him posted so that the poor man didn’t collapse for lack of sleep.

“I never had a brother,” Ric had told Stefan once, while they shared a drink on the porch. “But Damon was the closest thing to it.”

“He’s fine, Ric,” Stefan murmured. “My brother is alive and well, I’m sure of it, and we will find him,” they both knew about Damon’s last note, but still it was very stressing not knowing where Damon was or why he had left without saying goodbye.

__ __ __ __ __

It was a warmth summer afternoon when the doorbell rang, stirring Stefan’s foggy mind from its haze of alcohol; Ric had gone out, claiming that he to clear his mind a bit and to checked on Elena and Jeremy, so Stefan stood up groaning from the couch and walked towards the door, opening without worrying about who might be.

The man in front of him was human, dressed in a very expensive suit, and Stefan was sure he wasn’t from around town, since he didn’t recognize him.

“Mr. Stefan Salvatore?” the man asked with a nasal voice.

“Yeah, what do you want?” Stefan drunk mind was having a hard time connecting what was happening, but he saw how the man in front of him pulled a small and very expensive looking envelope from his coat, and then he extended to Stefan.

“What is this?” Stefan mumbled while he took the envelope, seeing it was sealed with a wax seal that had a big _M_ with a little bird flying behind it.

The man didn’t say anything else, just made a little bow with his head and left, leaving a dumbfounded Stefan at the door; after a few seconds, he closed it and walked back towards the couch, sitting down and taking his glass of bourbon from the floor.

Turning the envelope in his hands, he noticed that the front was blank, so he broke the seal and pulled out a very soft and fine sheet of paper… He then let his glass tumbled to the ground, while he grasped the paper with enough forced to rip one of its corners.

The paper was in invitation for a formal dining party at the house of Niklaus Mikaelson that night at eight, the address and the dress code were also listed, but what had made Stefan almost lost his mind was the little note at the end.

_Be sure to wear your best suit, Stef. I’ll see you soon. –D_

Stefan checked the time, wondering if it was a good idea to tell Ric to come, but not wanting to put him or anyone else at risk, Stefan decided it would be better to do this alone… So he made his way towards his room, intending on following the rules.

__ __ __ __ __

The house Stefan arrived just a few minutes short to eight o’clock seemed eerily familiar, as if he had seen something similar somewhere, but shaking the feeling, he step out of his car and walked towards the front door… He had left a small note for Ric and Elena back at his house, telling them he was fine and was following a lead to Damon’s whereabouts but that he would be back before morning.

When he knocked on the door, the same man that had deliver the invitation opened the door and signaled for him to follow… The inside of the house was polish and expensive, and every corner he rounded remind Stefan of something, but his mind was fogged, like if it was a dream he couldn’t remember.

They finally reached a sitting room, with big windows overlooking a gorgeous garden; Stefan had to refrained himself from running inside, because there, by a big chair, was standing Damon: he was clad in a very expensive suit, his hair was a bit longer, but stylized to one side, one his hands resting on Klaus’ shoulder and, the thing that caught Stefan’s attention, stirring something in his mind, was that his brother was wearing a very ornate lapel pin on his coat… Of a flying raven made of black diamond.

“Hello, brother,” Damon said and step forward, enveloping Stefan in a big hug, which Stefan returned with eagerness, realizing how much he had actually missed his big brother this past few months.

“Damon,” Stefan said, choking a bit. “What… where…”

“We’ll talk about it, little brother,” Damon said as he held Stefan by the arms and smiled at him. Klaus had walked towards the brothers, putting one hand on Damon’s lower back, which made his brother turned around a bit and smiled with such reverence at the blond original that Stefan went speechless.

“Dinner will go cold if we delay any longer, little raven,” Klaus said, smiling with the same reverence and love Stefan saw in his brother’s face. “Stefan, welcome.”

Completely speechless, Stefan let his brother steered him towards a doorway that lead to a big dinning room; he sat in a very big and comfortable chair, while his brother walked around the table, hand in hand with Klaus, to finally sat in front of Stefan. Before turning for his seat, Klaus bent down a little and dropped a quick kiss on Damon’s lips, caressing the blue eyed man's cheek.

“Damon,” that kiss had finally broke Stefan silent spell. “What’s going on?”

“I guess you already know, little brother,” Damon said. “Since you asked me about it a long time ago.” The raven in his brother’s coat glimmer a bit, and Stefan’s head started to spin a little, some foggy memories were starting to appeared.

_“I think our brothers might like each other a bit too much,” Stefan said to a cute blonde girl on his arm._

_“You think?” She smiled. “They can’t barely keep their hands from each other, but ignoring the fact that they don’t let us sleep most of the time, I’m happy for them, specially since both have been so lonely for son long.”_

_Stefan smiled with tenderness, understanding completely what his companion was telling him… He had seen first hand how happy Damon was and that made Stefan happy, too._

_“Also,” the blond girl smiled mischievously. “It they eventually decided to get married, I’m going to throw the biggest wedding party ever.”_

_Stefan laughed and pulled the girl for a deep kiss under the moonlight._

Stefan blinked, the fogged lifting, and saw how his brother and Klaus were smiling at him, as if both were into the secret of Stefan’s memories… Before he could say anything, the sound of a pair of high heels clicked on the wooden floor behind him, so he turned around and saw the most beautiful girl ever, the same girl from his memories: slender, blond hair to her shoulders, green eyes that resembled so much to Klaus’ and a smile so sweet and open that Stefan’s heart stuttered a little.

“Stefan,” the girl said, walking towards the table, her steps confident and with a happy cadence in them.

“Rebekah?” Stefan murmured while he stood up, seeing how his brother smiled fondly while he reached for Klaus’ hand across the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here it is! The last chapter in this sweet story :D I'm sorry it ends in some kind of cliffhanger, but who knows, maybe I'll end up writing some more about Damon and Klaus in the near future. 
> 
> Thank you so much for all you comments and kudos, you guys are the best! And sorry for the late update, but I just bought a new game and it kind of consumed me a bit. 
> 
> NOTE: This work needs revision and might contain grammar and spelling mistakes.


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